Musical Notes
by LSilvertongue
Summary: Bella hates Vampiric, hates the hype and the fan girl screaming. She hates the members, hates the posters, hates it all. Her uncle, Peter Southern, a well renowned musical manager, has plans to take them on, and she's furious... that is, until she's invited to stay, and meets them - with their sexy single band member, Edward Cullen... BellaxEdward, AU&AH, full summary inside
1. Chapter 1: Connections

_**Unfortunately, I'm not Stephanie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I'm also not infringing.**_

_**~ full summary ~**_

_Emmett, Edward and Jasper are the three core members of one of the hottest and best known boy bands of the decade. Almost every girl has heard of them, even if they don't like them, and few deny that the three brothers are almost inhumanly amazing._

_Except for Bella. She hates Vampiric, hates the hype and the fan girl screaming. She hates the members, hates the posters, hates it all. Her uncle, Peter Southern, is a well renowned musical manager, and when he tells her of his plans to take Vampiric on, she's furious... that is, until she's invited to stay, and meets them - with their sexy single band member, Edward Cullen..._

* * *

_**Vampiric's Single Can't Wait To See You Reaches No1 In UK Charts**_

_**Vampiric Member Jasper Cullen And "Friend" Alice Brandon - Dating?**_

_**Vampiric's Single Lead Singer Edward Cullen Says He's Looking For The Right Girl**_

Bella snorted, pushing the last of the magazines off of Angela's bed and sitting down. Glancing over, she saw that Angela was rolling her eyes in response to Bella's exasperation.

"Seriously, Bella? Do you not appreciate the beauty that is Emmett, Jasper and Edward Cullen?" She gestured to the poster above Bella's head, of three smiling, smirking brothers, in their late teens and all inhumanly perfect-looking.

Bella barely looked up. "The blond looks eccentric, the brawny one like he spends his life in the gym, and the other-" she glanced up again, her gaze meeting a pair of green eyes, and a smirking face that made Bella's lip curl in derision. "I've never liked gingers." She replied, snidely.

Angela gasped, probably mostly for effect, although her glare was certainly murderous. "Edward is _not_ ginger. He is _auburn_."

An irritated looked flitted across Bella's face. "Auburn, whatever." It was true, the green-eyed boy was less ginger and more... copper, but Bella was not going to admit that to Angela. "You can tell that they're all photoshopped to hell and back, and their band name - Vampiric? How ridiculous can you get?"

Both girls sighed, simultaneously.

"Anyway. I didn't come over to argue with you about boy bands. How're you doing? What's up with Ben?"

Angela promptly blushed, dropping her gaze to hide her smile. "Oh, you know, nothing much." She paused briefly, then added, barely audibly, "He asked me to go to the cinema with him."

Bella's jaw dropped. "Nothing much? Ange, that's amazing! When? You said yes, of course? What're you going to see?"

Angela laughed. "One question at a time, Bells. Next Saturday, I think, of course I said yes, and he suggested this romantic comedy his sister had gone to see and liked."

Bella reached out to hug her smiling friend. "I'm so happy for you."

Grinning, Angela ducked her head. "I'm pretty happy for me, too." Sneakily, she added, mimicking the tone Bella had used when she'd asked her about Ben. "And you and Mike?"

Groaning, Bella flopped down onto the bed, lying on her back and draping an arm over her face. "He just doesn't get it! He tried asking me out on Friday, again. The moment I suggested a group outing, he lost interest."

Angela laughed. "Poor you. And you're not interested in anybody?"

Bella shook her head, sitting up. "You know the answer to that. Who really is there, at Forks High?" Catching Angela's eye, she added, "Besides Ben, of course."

Angela shrugged. "No one, I guess... I've heard Tyler's on the prowl, however."

Elbowing Angela, Bella laughed, and the conversation drifted onto other topics.

A few hours later, Bella stood up to leave, giving Angela a last hug.

"And you're sure you can't stay for tea?" Angela pleaded, giving Bella a hopeful look. "You know you're welcome to."

She chuckled, shaking her head. "I'm sorry, I really can't. We're having dinner with the Blacks, and Uncle Peter and Aunt Charlotte. We're celebrating him getting signed onto another band."

Angela's eyes widened. "You never mentioned this! Do you know who yet?"

Bella shook her head again. "Nope. He won't say - tonight's the grand unveiling." She rolled her eyes. "Jake reckons it'll be someone pretty big, though - the Russian Dolls were pretty famous when they broke up. He's been looking ever since, although they made him enough money to last him a lifetime."

Angela nodded. "Jake probably just hopes it'll be another hot girl band he can drool over... but I remember you saying you'd met Tanya Denali. I think I freaked... you lucky thing."

Bella laughed. "Yeah - she really was epic, too - really nice, and so unfairly beautiful. I could almost understand Jacob's drooling."

Angela laughed in agreement, and stood to accompany Bella to the door. "See you," she called, waving Bella off.

Peter Southern wasn't truly Bella's uncle, but her great uncle, the much-younger brother of her father's father. He was only about ten years her dad, Charlie's, senior, and had made quite a name for himself in the music world, having been the manager of the successful Russian trio, Russian Dolls. When one of their member, Irina, died in a car crash, the other two sisters decided they didn't want to continue the group and both went solo after taking a break from music making.

Peter had no real need for managing another group - as Bella had told Angela, the money he'd made from Russian Dolls would keep him going well into retirement - but he loved the music industry, and she knew he'd be excited about working with a new band.

The Blacks were good family friends, with Billy Black being one of her father's closest friends, and his son, Jacob, only a year younger than Jacob.

When she pulled up outside Peter's house, she recognised Peter and his wife Charlotte's red Bentley, and Charlie's police cruiser. She grinned, hopping out of her truck, and hurried inside.

Jacob greeted her with his customary hug and a smile. He was wearing his long hair down for once, rather than tied back with an elastic, and it fell in his eyes as they grinned at each other.

"Hey, Jake," Bella greeted him enthusiastically, pulling the door shut behind her. "How're you doing?"

Jacob took her coat and steadied her as she kicked off her shoes. "I'm good - looking forward to the end of term, but who isn't? And you? You look good."

Bella brushed off his compliment, shaking her head. "Tired, as usual. School sets crazy amounts of work. Who gave you the lift here?" Jake, at sixteen, couldn't drive yet, and his father was in a wheelchair.

"Peter, of course. They stopped in on the way here." His voice dropped conspiratorially as they made their way deeper into the house, both familiar with the layout, heading to the lounge. "He seems pretty excited... do you have any idea who he's managing?" Jacob looked up at her hopefully.

Bella shook her head, chuckling. "Nope. He hasn't breathed a word."

They entered the lounge, crowded with the two families, and Peter and Charlotte rose from their seats to greet Bella.

Greetings were exchanged, and once Jacob had resettled and Bella had got a drink and a seat, Peter stood, the tiny Charlotte beaming and holding onto his hand.

"Okay, okay," he called, quieting the already dwindling chatter. "You've waited long enough."

Jacob leant over to Bella, whispering in her ear. His hair tickled her cheek. She shivered, and then concentrated on what he was saying. "He had this long speech prepared - Charlotte told him he couldn't say it all."

Bella laughed under her breath. Peter liked his drama, and it was just like the tiny, but domineering, Charlotte to hold him back.

"The band I have the honour of managing is -"

There was a pause, during which Jacob began drumming softly on his leg, creating a drumroll.

"Vampiric!"

* * *

_**Woot! New fanfic!**_

_**Does it show promise? Will you read on?**_

_**Read and review, s'il vous plait :)**_


	2. Chapter 2: Announcements

Bella's jaw dropped.

Faintly, she heard Jacob whooping beside her, and the applause and congratulations of the rest of the party.

She almost felt betrayed.

Of course, it was amazing that he had managed to secure a place as the manager of the world's current most famous boy band, but the boy band she hated so passionately? The one she had slagged off at Angela's earlier today? Automatically, she began clapping and congratulating, along with the others, smiling at Peter.

"No wonder he was so excited," Jacob commented, "Vampiric are pretty big."

Bella huffed. "Pretty big? They're only number one in pretty much any chart you can name."

Jacob quirked an eyebrow. "Sounds like you know a lot about them. I thought they were the ones you disliked?" He helped Bella up, and they made their way towards the dining room, where dinner was being served.

Bella nodded vehemently. "Dislike? I hate them. Auto tuned and photo shopped isn't how I like my music." Then she added, not wanting to sound disparaging of her uncle's success, "Although it is true they are famous, and should make Peter a decent sum."

Jacob chuckled. "Can you even have photo shopped music?" He yelped as Bella elbowed him. "Okay, okay, I get it! Less of the violence, Bella, please."

She scoffed. "Like it hurt you. Come on, let's go bag us seats by each other."

Jacob's answering smile was blinding. "How much of their music have you actually listened to?" He asked her as they settled into their seats. "I hear the occasional ones in shops or on the radio or whatever. I'm not into the whole boy band thing, but as far as I can hear, none of it is too bad."

Bella raised her eyebrows. "You've never been stuck in a car with an Angela determined to sing along to every word of every track on the CD." Then she gasped. "Angela! I've got to tell her!"

Leaning around Jacob, she called out to Peter, sitting further along the table. "Congrats," she grinned at him, "When can this go public? I've got a friend who just adores Vampiric - when can I tell her?"

Peter matched her smile. "By all means, text her now. The news is officially released tomorrow morning - but I don't see why you can't tell her, if she keeps it relatively quiet."

She thanked him, and pulled out her phone, glancing up and down the table to make sure Charlie was occupied and wouldn't scold her for texting at the table. Even as she began to type, a message from Angela came - **So, who was it?**

She hastily composed a reply.** Oh, no1 u would have heard of**

Jacob, obviously spying over her shoulder, laughed.

**:( Who?**

**this obscure boy band, Vampiric. Not sure u know them?**

**#£%&£&£==%£π÷? Seriously?**

**yep. U know who they r? :O**

**:(**

Bella laughed, and slid her phone away, looking up just as the food began to be served.

Along with Jacob and his father, Charlie, and Peter and Charlotte, were others close to the two families - Rachel and Rebecca, Jacob's sisters, had returned from university and, for Rebecca, a marriage, to celebrate with Peter. A woman who, according to Jacob, was a childhood friend of Peter's and "super scary" sat opposite Bella, and introduced herself as Maria. There were a few others, dotted around the table, that Bella didn't recognise, but it was obvious that this was a small, close celebration.

Partway through the meal, Rebecca, who was on the other side of Bella, detached herself from her tanned husband and leaned in to whisper. "Jacob's staring at you," she murmured, winking at Bella and the ensuing blush.

"We're talking! It's be weird if he wasn't looking at me!" She hissed in reply. "Stop matchmaking!"

Rebecca chuckled and leaned back, talking at a normal volume once more. "Do you like Vampiric? Me and Rachie are quite big fans."

Bella slumped, over dramatising it a little. "Not you too! Ugh, hell no. Who wants music made by a computer?" Feeling guilty, she added, "But they are big, and it's amazing Peter got the job as their manager."

Rebecca nodded, her sleek black hair, so much like Jacob's, falling in her eyes. Pushing it back with an impatient hand, she replied, "Well, each to her own. What is it about them you don't like? The music, the members...?"

Bella sighed. "A mixture of everything, I guess... the music has got to be auto tuned, no one has that combination of looks and talent. No one is that - perfect. Flawless."

Rebecca's eyebrows rose. "So you admit they're good?" A small smile crossed her lips, and she rose an eyebrow, again reminding Bella of her brother.

Bella shook her head. "No, I admit that whatever computer made their music and edited their faces is good. And the amount of money they make from things other than their music - how much Vampiric merchandise do you have?" Rebecca made a sheepish face, and so Bella pressed on with her point. "Exactly. They probably don't even write their own songs, they've just been grouped together because they've got pretty faces and voices." She shook her head miserably. "I just feel so bad, this is amazing for Peter and all I can do is go on about how much I hate his new band."

Rebecca chuckled. "I didn't much like Russian Dolls, to tell you the truth. All the rolled 'r's and inability to pronounce 'w's got to me. You've just got to support him, and be proud of him for landing a deal with such a big band."

Bella nodded, sighing. "Thanks. I will."

She smiled at Rebecca, and then Jacob captured her attention again, curious about whatever she and his sister had been talking about.

She grinned. "Vampiric, of course. What else?"

The meal was lengthy, and Bella stopped eating long before Jacob, even though she hadn't eaten at Angela's. He kept on going back for seconds, and thirds, before quitting after his fourth round of crumble.

Leaning back in his seat and grinning at Bella, he patted his stomach, which was somehow still flat.

"That was delicious," he yawned. "What's for the main course?" Bella slapped his arm gently, knowing that attempting to hurt him any further would just result in her injuring herself.

She shook her head. "A whole cow." They made faces at each other for a moment, before Bella laughed. "Listen to Peter, you silly,"

He'd stood, and Bella guessed that this was going to be the speech Charlotte had prevented him from saying earlier. He beamed at the table of people, excitement still evident on his face.

"Vampiric are a well known band, not to say the least, and am so proud and honoured to be managing them for the foreseeable future. Of course, I could not have managed it without my beautiful, encouraging and supportive wife, Charlotte. However, I also would have been able to give you my entire speech, which, by the way, was a lot longer."

Bella could see that Charlotte had a hand over her eyes and was shaking her head, but her free hand was entwined in Peter's, and there was a smile behind it all. Peter was a joker at heart, and Bella knew Charlotte loved him all the more for it.

"Then of course, there's the Swans, my actual family, and Blacks, who are so nearly family, I don't know why we don't just adopt them."

Rebecca smiled mischievously, winking at Bella and then speaking up over the smatterings of applause. "I think Bella would have an issue with that. She only wants to be related to Jacob in one way, and that involves rings and a white dress."

Bella gaped, and then buried her blushing face in her hands, shaking her head just as Charlotte had. There was good natured laughter, and although Bella didn't - couldn't - look at Jacob, Charlie's expression was priceless.

Peter was chuckling, too. "Oh. There you have it - why we haven't adopted the Blacks." There was a little more laughter, during which Bella glared at Rebecca, making slicing motions with her hand, over her throat. Rebecca didn't look half as scared as Bella thought she probably should.

"But I wanted to thank you all for supporting me in this - Maria, for being that helpful first contact; Aro and Jane for being so hospitable in those few weeks I spent in Italy, making arrangements after Irina's tragic death there; Caius for destroying some of my less feasible plans - many of them needed it and, of course, the rest of you, for simply supporting me with my dreams."

There was clapping and more congratulations, and then Peter and Charlotte lead their guests back through into the living area, for the celebration to continue.

One of the things Bella loved about visiting Peter and Charlotte was the opportunity to stay with them. She and Jacob shared a room - they had ever since they were small, and although Charlie would probably shoot any other boy who tried the same, there was something different about Jacob. Like Peter had said, he truly was like family, and Charlie was too awkward to say anything. So the tradition continued, although from childish "midnight feasts" and torches under the bedcovers at the age of seven, it developed into deep teenage angsting and confessions at fourteen, and then to friends watching movies and listening to music, now.

The room was beautiful - against one wall were two twin beds, and the opposite wall was mostly glass, looking out over the forests of the Olympic peninsula. A third wall held bookshelves, on which were many of Bella's favourites, and the fourth had a fireplace, a TV, and a large stereo system, with iPod and Android docking stations.

While Jacob showed and changed, Bella went to fetch her bags in from her truck. Shivering in the cool air, she looked up at the moon, for once not hidden. It was full, on the point of waning - a werewolf moon, Jacob had always called it. She smiled up at it, pulled her bag out of the cab of her truck, and headed back inside.

Jacob was in a scruffy T-shirt and some pyjama pants when she reappeared in their room. He was kneeling by the TV, looking through the extensive movie collection there. He looked up and grinned as she entered. "Shower's free," he told her, a little needlessly.

She rolled her eyes. "I hadn't realised."

After showering and changing, she brushed her teeth and pulled on a dressing gown, deciding to let her hair air dry - it was only Jacob. He'd made a small pile of movies, telling her to choose while he got himself a drink.

They finally settled down in front of a chick flick that Bella normally wouldn't watch, but she knew that they would talk most of the way through it, and it was better than most of the action films that Jacob had also picked out.

About halfway through, Peter knocked on the door, poking his head round and giving the two youngsters a smile. "Charlie says to behave yourselves, and good night," he told them, rolling his eyes a little.

They waited for the door to shut before bursting out into giggles. "That's a first," Bella snickered. "Behave yourselves."

Jacob laughed, shaking his head. "He really took Rebecca's comment to heart, didn't he?"

"Yep. He'll be by the front door all night, trying to catch us eloping." She rolled her eyes. "Really, he's far too gullible."

**Thank youfor reading... leave me a review? :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Gossip

Bella awoke with the sun on her face, streaming in through the large window opposite the beds. She groaned and rolled over, burying her head in the pillows and wishing they'd remembered to close the curtains last night.

After a few minutes of lying there and failing to return to sleep, she rolled back over and sat up, blinking around at her surroundings. Jacob had already woken up, his bed made neatly opposite hers, and she realised with chagrin that it was already quite late in the morning.

And then she looked outside, and gasped.

It had snowed overnight, and the ground was dusted with an already-quite-thick layer of white. She sat there for a few more minutes, entranced by the beautiful winter landscape before her, before climbing out of bed, locating a jumper, and pulling it on.

Her and Jacob's room was located on the ground floor, level with the forest outside, and as soon as she opened the door, the smell of breakfast assaulted her, making her stomach rumble with hunger.

The frankly magnificent kitchen had a high counter, complete with bar stools, and Jacob was sat at it, wolfing down a plate of scrambled eggs. Peter waved cheerily from in front of the cooker, where he appeared to be frying bacon.

"Are you not cold?" She asked Jacob, still clad only in his T-shirt and pyjama trouser combination. "It's snowy outside!"

He grinned, swallowing. "Nope, not at all. And I know, isn't it awesome? Do you think we'll get off school?"

Bella rolled her eyes at his boyish excitement. "What do you think?" She asked him drily, slightly irritated by her school's stringent policy regarding snow days. "We only have a week left, besides." She told him, taking a seat at the counter.

He shook his head sadly. "A week is a long time, Bella. And we don't break up until Friday."

"We break up on the Thursday," she teased him. "One of the perks of Forks High - lazy teachers. When does your school go back after New Year, then?"

Though she and Jacob were in the same year, they attended different schools; she the local school in Forks, and he the Quileute reservation school. Scrunching his nose in concentration, Jacob tried to remember. "The fourth? The fifth? Not sure. It's a Tuesday, though."

Bella nodded. "I think it's the same... what's for breakfast?"

Peter, by now serving up, chuckled. "What does it look like? English breakfast - there's scrambled egg, or you can fry or poach one if you'd like, I'm just serving bacon and there are tomatoes under the grill, along with mushrooms keeping warm."

Bella smiled, hopping off of her stool and collecting a plate. "Where are Charlie and Billy?" She asked, heaping a generous serving of scrambled eggs on her plate.

"Charlie had an early shift," Peter told her, taking her vacated spot at the table. "And he drove Billy home; they said you could take Jacob in the truck."

Bella chuckled, nodding. "Of course."

The day passed lazily, with her and Jacob making cookies for Peter and Charlotte, as they usually did, watching TV and, after Jacob's constant cajoling, playing in the snow.

Bella didn't like the cold. That was fair enough; she'd spent most of her childhood growing up in Arizona, and so when Jacob flopped down on his back, making the classic snow angel, she just laughed and shook her head.

"No way!"

Jacob grinned, sitting up again, snow in his hair. "Come on, Bella! You can't stand there and shiver all day!" He reached up, and tugged Bella's hand, pulling her off balance enough that she tumbled, falling into the snow. She couldn't contain the little shriek that escaped her lips, and all it did was make Jacob laugh even harder.

They lay still for a minute, gazing up at the grey sky. "If both our schools are closed tomorrow, do you want to come down to La Push?" Charlie could come too - they could watch the game, and we could hang out."

Bella laughed. "I think the whole point of schools closing is that students cannot get there. If no one can make the short journey from Forks to Forks high, I don't think I'll be able to get to yours. Especially not with my truck. And Charlie would still have work; he's hardly going to skive."

Bella could tell what Jacob's expression would be, even though she couldn't see; semi-pouting, sulking although he knew she was right. "Yeah, well-" he broke off, irritated. "That's not fair."

Sitting up, shaking the snow out of her hair and laughing, Bella rolled her eyes down at him. "Sometimes, I swear you're four years old. A week - that's five school days - and then you can see me practically every day for the next three weeks."

She stood, offering him her hand to help him up, and then headed back inside, soaked due to Jacob's snow angel making.

After that, she and Jacob packed, tidying the room they'd stayed in for Peter and Charlotte. They left after lunch, Bella driving after a few jokes about Jacob taking the driving seat after lunch.

Bella was driving especially carefully., but she was surprised when her decrepit truck handled almost as well as usual, despite the ice. She mentioned this to Jacob, who gave her an adorably mischievous grin and told her that he and Charlie had put snow chains on her truck that morning.

It wasn't a long journey, and it passed even more quickly than usual, with Jacob singing (badly) along to the ancient radio, goofing around and refusing to change the station when a Vampiric song came on.

"Come on, Bella! We've got to support Peter." He laughed as she attempted to hit his hand away from the stereo, and failed.

"Urgh!" She made a face, over dramatising her disgust, but curious as to what made these songs so popular, she began to listen properly.

From the off, she could see why these songs would appeal. The words were lyrical, begging a girl to stay. The voice was crooning and close, and she couldn't deny that it was a good voice. The others joined in - Bella remembered the trio in Angela's poster - a higher tenor and a deeper, gravelly bass. Complex guitar melodies wound around the voices, now in close harmony.

All in all, it wasn't the worst song she'd ever heard. But, she reminded herself, these singers wouldn't have written it - they'd have hired some musician with a flair for poetry. They were just pretty, enhanced voices.

When the song ended, Jacob nudged her, laughing at her thoughtful expression.

"Not so bad?" He asked. "I didn't love it, personally, but it wasn't awful."

Bella grimaced. "Yes it was." But then she heard Peter's name mentioned, and she lifted a hand to shush his retort. Clearly, the song had been playing as a kind of introduction to releasing his name as manager. Both she and Jacob quietened, listening.

It had been a good weekend, and neither Bella nor Jacob was looking forward to going back to school. They attended separate schools; his on the La Push reservation where he lived, Bella the local school in Forks.

It was lively the next morning; classes were winding down for winter break, and Bella passed several people discussing Vampiric and smiled smugly to herself. Although she was grateful she'd never paraded her connection to him, and therefore big musical names, it gave her a feeling of satisfaction, knowing that she was part of something big, even if only in a tiny way.

Angela met her with a true fangirl squeal and a hug, attracting the attention of several people, not least Jessica Stanley, who approached them in curiosity, asking just what Angela was so excited about.

She and Bella just smiled at each other, Bella with a slight roll of her eyes, and replied in unison. "Nothing." Anything they told Jessica would be around school in a few hours.

"Honestly, Bella." Angela was saying, as they walked to their first class together, arms linked. "It's wasted on you. Do you know how many girls would kill to be in your shoes?"

Bella frowned, glancing at her Converse. "Um, not many?" She joked. "They're kind of tatty, and they need a wash."

Sending her a withering look, Angela sighed, not responding to that.

"Sorry," Bella apologised. "I guess, a lot of girls would, except they don't know Peter's my great uncle. And they're not going to find out, are they, Angela?"

She was glad she'd never boasted. She wasn't a fan of attention, and any connection, however faint, to the biggest boy band of the day would attract curiosity. Despite this, every time she heard the name, she'd feel a little burst of pride. Peter had worked for this, and she was sure he was loving his new job.


	4. Chapter 4: Invitation

Bella arrived home soaking wet. The snow had prompted plans for an epic snowball battle in the parking lot after school, but unfortunately - or fortunately, depending on how you looked at it - it had begun to rain almost torrentially, erasing all traces of the snow.

She sighed, went upstairs to change and wondered why she'd ever agreed to move to Forks. Surely, moving from place to place with her hare-brained mother and her ball-playing husband couldn't have been that bad?

But Phil didn't play well, and Bella knew that they simply couldn't afford to finance a teenage daughter living with them, too. Not with Renee not working due to Phil's constant moving. She'd been worried initially that Phil wouldn't be able to take care of Renee, who had a new hobby each week and a mind scattered enough to match. Her most recent endeavour was typical of her - she'd decided to try parachute jumping, forgetting, of course, that she detested heights until she was almost out of the plane.

The house was empty, save for her, but she was used to that. Charlie worked until early evening, and so she'd cook for him once she'd done any homework she had. It was a quiet life, but Bella was solitary; she preferred it. Collecting her books, she settled herself down in the kitchen, after switching on the radio. For a brief moment, the sun shined in through the windows, and she was distracted, wanting the sunlight sparkle off the puddles and dripping greenery.

Her homework load wasn't heavy; with only a few days before the semester ended, she knew they'd set a great deal over the break. So she took her time with it, texting Angela as she did so to keep herself from going insane and singing along to some of the songs on the radio - with no one else home, there was no one to complain about her off-pitch singing. Angela was equally excited and nervous for her date with Ben at the end of the week - she was a shy girl, but he was friendly and certainly smitten enough to coax her out of her shell, Bella was certain.

Inevitably, a Vampiric song began playing - as was customary for her, she leapt up, switching the radio off with a snort, but then stood there, hand on the switch. Glancing between her books and the stairs to her room, she finally relented. She was curious - and she was going to do her research.

She booted up her ancient computer, clearing away the remnants of her homework while she waited for it to wake itself in her room. The internet here was slow, and the computer even slower, but it was better than nothing.

When it had started up, she opened the internet, and typed in one word - Vampiric.

There was a lot to sift through; articles and blogs, videos and pictures, and to her bemusement, fanfiction - she opened one up on random, and her eyes widened. People certainly had... vivid imaginations, and clearly obsessed minds. There was some fanart, which was obviously drawn with skill and care, although she couldn't comprehend why someone would devote that time and skill to drawing a celebrity they'd never met and would never meet.

There were three members, all brothers; Edward, Jasper and Emmett Cullen. Edward was the lead singer, and seemed to generally be the most popular with the female fan base; Emmett and Jasper both had girlfriends, she discovered, while Edward was single. Many of the articles were about the trio's shockingly good looks and love lives, although she discovered a piece about fans sending hate mail to any girl even remotely connected to the band. She shuddered and felt a renewed burst of relief that she'd never boasted about being related to Peter.

The band had been officially formed just under two years ago and proved an almost instant success, reaching number one on charts around the world. The three boys had apparently been musical from a young age, although the back story about writing their first song together when Jasper and Edward, twins, were thirteen, and Emmett fifteen, seemed unlikely. She was cynical enough - or perhaps wise enough - to discount a good deal of what she read as fiction rather than fact.

Half an hour later, she sat back in her chair. She'd not learned anything of importance. Peter would do well from managing them, but she'd already known that, and she now knew that her instinctive decision to keep quiet was a good one.

She cut off the power for the computer, suddenly irritated with herself. She felt ridiculous, researching this band like a preteen fangirl, and stomped her way downstairs to begin making dinner.

As usual, dinner was eaten mostly in silence. Bella took after her father in the respect that both of them were quiet. The lack of conversation pleased rather than bothered her; Charlie was a man of few words, and if he had something to say, you could be sure that it would be concise, to the point.

"I was talking with Peter earlier today." He commented, as they cleared up and he began the dishes. He sounded as though he'd been mulling over this as they ate; she wouldn't be surprised.

Bella nodded, wiping down the table and motioning for her father to continue.

"Carlisle Cullen," Bella blurted, remembering his name from her earlier research into the band. She wasn't at all sure how she'd remembered it; she'd not been paying the greatest deal of attention, although it was certainly unusual and perhaps that contributed to it.

Charlie gave her a crinkled smile that she instantly disliked, one that spoke of indulging a teenage fangirl's wishes. "Yes, that may be him," he said with a chuckle. "Carlisle or whatever - he invited Peter to holiday with him over winter break."

Bella's eyes widened. "Seriously? Do bands usually do that for managers?" She struggled to remember if the Tanya and Irina, the Russian Dolls, had, or any of Peter's previous charges, but couldn't.

Charlie shrugged. "I know as much as you do, although I got the impression that it was unusual. Now, you know Peter and Charlotte have no children..." He paused, smiling that crinkled smile again, and Bella jumped in with a gasp.

"Wait, does that mean we won't spend Christmas with them this year?" Her lips pulled into a pout - one of her favourite parts about the winter break was celebrating with Peter and Charlotte, and the Blacks.

"Well, you might." Charlie's tone was enigmatic; she could only wonder at the practice this conversation would have required. And then she wondered at his meaning, frowning a little at him as she dried a plate he'd just handed to her.

She gave him a skeptical look. "Right... So where are they going?"

He grinned. "Some island off the coast of South America - you know how rich these kids are by now." Bella wolf-whistled, thinking of Peter's luck, and he laughed, evidently agreeing. "Peter and Charlotte have no children, as you know, and as Peter is well aware of how popular this band is with teenagers at the moment - Bella, I do believe that you are invited, too."

_So, she's finally headed his way - if she gets over herself enough to go ;) thank you for reading - do please review? :)_


	5. Chapter 5: Reassurance

"Two weeks in South America? Bella, what the hell are you waiting for?" Jacob's voice was joking, incredulous and envious all at the same time.

Rolling over, Bella placed her phone on the pillow by her head, placing it on speaker phone as she did so. She'd guessed that Jacob would react like this, because he was reasonable and didn't hate Vampiric and loved his summer holidays.

She sighed. "Because it's two weeks in South America with Vampiric." Her voice was moody. After Charlie had dropped his invitation bomb, she'd stood still for a couple of minutes, trying to process it. She'd incredulously asked if he was joking, and he'd protested his innocence. Grinning at her and going into the living room to catch the game, he'd left her alone to come upstairs to call Jacob.

"Oh, Bella." His tone was still amused. "So many girls - and even guys, for that matter - would do anything for this opportunity. You're being offered a vacation in the sun while us here in Forks cross our fingers we'll get decent snow rather than rain. Go for it!"

She turned her head and glared at her ceiling. "Did you miss the part where I'd be vacationing with the band I have made it my duty to hate?" She still hadn't quite accepted that this was happening for real. Then her tone softened, becoming more pleading, trying to get Japcb to understand. "I don't know them. Peter and Charlotte are going to get to know them, that's the point. Why would they care about me? I'll probably just be a nuisance and get in the way."

Jacob was silent for a minute. "Okay, I see what you mean. But Peter wouldn't have invited you if he thought you'd have a miserable time - he knows how shy you are." He sounded encouraging, then he snorted and added, "And they probably need a dose of reality. A girl who doesn't think they're gods might be good for them."

She chuckled humourlessly. "Yeah, or they'd hate me and make my life hell. Do you know, one word from them on a press conference or something and they'd turn half the population against me?"

"Bella, my dear optimist, it would take more than one word, unless they held up signs explaining what they meant by their one word."

Despite herself, Bella laughed. Jacob was right, she was a bit of a pessimist. "No, you're right. They wouldn't hate me - I'd be too busy blushing and being generally shy and/or clumsy to anything to make them dislike me." They both chuckled at her wry tone, and there was a silence for a moment before Bella spoke again. "Seriously, Jacob? You think I should go for it?"

She could imagine him nodding emphatically, his hair falling into his eyes the way it tended to do. "Yes. Go and enjoy yourself, you lucky devil. I'll miss you over Christmas, though."

She smiled, more reassured now she'd spoken to him. "Thanks - I'll think about it. And me, too. I'll get you an extra-special present to make up, okay?"

"You do that. You'll have fun; you're too stubborn to go all that way and not do. Do you know exactly how many people are going?"

She shook her head before realising he couldn't see her. "No... I mean, Peter, Charlotte and I, the three band members, and their father and mother, I guess, at the very least - I don't know. The boys might bring their girlfriends, I suppose... would they bring bodyguards or whatever?"

Jacob laughed at her rambling. "Don't know why you're asking me. Call Peter, and find out a bit more about exactly what this trip entails - then just consider. You have a few days."

She smiled. "Thanks for talking to me; I'm sorry for monopolizing the conversation."

He laughed softly. "It was no problem, honestly. I'll see you."

"See you..." The line disconnected, and she reached out to pick up her phone.

Should she call Angela? Her first instinct was to say yes, of course, she'd trusted Jacob, hadn't she? But she hesitated. Jacob was practically family - and not a fangirl. He'd understand why she wouldn't want to go, and yet give her the positives unbiasedly. And - the thought of the article she'd read that afternoon, the one reporting the hate fangirls sometimes gave, made her hesitate. Not that she'd thought Angela would do that to her - but it took one tweet or comment, or even a whispered "Don't tell anyone, but..."

And she didn't want to hurt Angela. Here she was, throwing away an opportunity that, as Jacob had so graphically stated, many people would kill for. She loved Vampiric; however much Bella teased her for it, she understood and respected that. She glanced guiltily once more at the phone in her hands, then placed it down on her nightstand, standing up so she could join Charlie downstairs.

Leaning around the door, Bella pulled Charlie's attention from the TV screen with a small cough. He gave her a smile, waiting for her to continue.

"I'm just going to call Peter?" She informed him. "I'd like to talk to him about this invitation thing, if that's okay?"

Charlie's smile widened. "Of course. Do remember to think him, won't you? It sounded like it took a bit of persuading to get you this; don't forget to be grateful."

Great. Like she needed another reason to be unsure - she wasn't even really welcome. But she took a deep breath, remembering Jacob's advice, and picked up the phone, dialing Peter's number.

Charlotte picked up, her Southern accent asking "Hello?" with a warm lilt.

"Hey, Charlotte, it's Bella."

"Oh, Bella! We were expecting a call from you - I presume Charlie's told you about this invitation?" Her great aunt's excitement was palpable, and Bella felt herself relaxing. Charlotte had always been like a mother to her, far more loving and present than her own had been.

"He has... is it true then? Or has he had a personality change and was kidding?"

There was merry laughter from the other end of the phone line, dissipating some of Bella's anxiety. Charlotte wouldn't let the big, bad, boy band boys hurt Bella. "No, he was telling the truth. Peter was surprised when Mr Cullen - the boys' father - called him up, but they all seem really friendly."

Bella made a small affirmative noise, not wanting to think well of the band, but equally knowing that Charlotte was unlikely to be fooled by a mere show of niceties. "Obviously, though, I was curious - who exactly is going?"

"Oh!" She could hear Charlotte muttering quietly, doing a head count. "There will be ten of us, if you come - Edward, Jasper and Emmett, of course, and their parents, Carlisle and Esme Cullen. In addition, two girls who I think are about your age; Jasper and Emmett's girlfriends. And then Peter, you and I."

Bella swallowed. It all sounded very... cozy. She'd be the outsider, that was for sure, unless she wanted to hang around with the adults; she couldn't imagine any of the band members being interested in getting to know her, and for all she knew, their girlfriends could be just as famous and important - and stuck up - as they were.

"Bella?" Charlotte's voice broke through her angsting. "Are you still there?"

"Oh!" Bella's eyes widened and she focussed back on the conversation in hand. "Sorry, my mind was wandering."

Charlotte snickered. "That's okay. Listen, I need to go now, but I'll email you with a rough list of what you'll need to bring and other information later, okay?"

They said their goodbyes and hung up, Bella only minutely more reassured that saying yes to this thing was a good idea.


	6. Chapter 6: Packing

Looking at the list Charlotte had sent her, Bella cussed - not a very Bella-like thing to do, but she had her reasons.

It wasn't so much the comfy clothes for the flight that had her worried; no, she could be comfy without dressing as a slob. Nor was it the swimsuit, really - although she wasn't the most confident about herself, she knew her one-piece, with a cut away back and patterned with little apples, would be a good choice to take. Cute and kind of fun, although Bella did wish for a moment that she had the confidence to wear a bikini. Being pale was only fun for so long.

No, it was the "Smart dinner dress," that had her tensing up, glaring in disgust at her computer screen.

Was her great-aunt delusional? Bella had never liked dressing up... and yet, she supposed she should have expected it. She was only staying with the greatest boy band at the time. They'd be posh, and probably wouldn't look too kindly on her dressing in jeans when they went to a top class restaurant or whatever they were intending to do.

Running her hand through her hair, she glared at her wardrobe, then stood, reluctantly moving to sort through her clothes. She'd packed most of the stuff on the list already; it was mostly logical - a towel, shorts and t-shirts, general holiday items, and so she'd been able to check if most of her list without much thought.

Then she wondered what she'd be doing with the dress - other than wearing it, of course. Would each meal be a smart affair? Or would it just be a couple of nights, eating out? She had a funny image of someone washing up in a tuxedo, and smiled wryly to herself. They were rich, that didn't mean they dressed up for every single occasion.

Could they even eat out? She supposed they would have fans all over the world; the fan base couldn't be limited to just English-speaking countries. She knew so little about this; she had a feeling akin to entering an exam hall without even knowing the test subject.

But Renee, the scatter brained mother that she was, liked to buy Bella things - often clothes, making up for the fact that she never seemed to be round when Bella needed her. They were often far more dressy and designer than Bella was accustomed to, but she was pleased if she managed to divert four out of five of the presents Renee wanted to buy. Occasionally - very occasionally, they would come in handy.

Last summer, Bella had visited her and Phil, and amongst a couple of pairs of jeans and a coat, Renee had bought her a dress. And it was that dress that Bella pulled out of her closet, taking it off the hanger and holding it up in front of herself critically.

Blue, with a heart-shaped bodice and flowing skirt, she supposed it wasn't exactly Renee's worst purchase. But even so, no one in Forks ever wore dresses - you might as well wear a swimming costume. So she'd never had occasion to wear it.

It was formal enough, Bella surmised. As formal as it was going to get. She folded it up neatly, scowling, then realised she had probably better try it on. Not that she could really do anything if it didn't fit, but if it was overly revealing, she could pack a tank top, or something.

It fit neatly, and she noted with relief that although it was close cut above the skirt, it didn't dip low. She gave her reflection a wan smile, trying once more to bolster her resolve.

A day later, and she still hadn't got used to the idea. She'd not told Angela, still, staying quiet whenever the subject of Vampiric came up and steering clear of discussions about holiday plans. She'd have to tell her sometime, she knew, but holidaying with them might be a little easier if she knew there wasn't an envious friend waiting at home. Angela had sensed her mood, asking her several times if she was okay, but she'd replied claiming to just be thinking.

She'd had to tell people she was spending the holiday in Phoenix, and missing the last couple of days of school to fly there. It hadn't taken much lying on her part; without much prompting, people simply assumed she was returning there - no matter that Renee and Phil where in another state altogether, moving around to find a team to sign him. She knew no one really cared; most people were too busy bragging about their own holidays.

She sighed. One more day - by this time tomorrow, she'd be at Peter and Charlotte's, staying the night so they could catch an early flight the next morning. She had no homework due tomorrow, and as the end of term was drawing near she couldn't see any of her teachers pulling a difficult lesson out. One more day.

She wasn't sure whether she wanted the time to fly, or drag by slowly.

Checking over her packing one last time, she picked up her phone, intending to call Jacob. But as she did so, her phone chimed, signalling an incoming text from Angela. A fresh surge of guilt hit her, and she sat in the bed, flipping the top of the suitcase closed to make room.

_What should I wear on Friday? :)_

Dropping her face into the heel of her hand, she berated herself for being such an awful friend. She should be celebrating with Angela right now, preparing her and helping her get ready for the first date with a guy she'd liked for months, not angsting over a vacation!


	7. Chapter 7: Greetings

Bella was awakened by a sleepy yet excited Charlotte. Sitting up was a feat, and she felt as though she'd barely slept - when she glanced at the clock, she groaned. Between the late night spent talking with Peter and Charlotte and worrying once she'd finally made it to bed, she supposed she'd slept for about three hours.

Slightly more awake after a quick shower, she began work on making herself presentable. They would be taking a private jet, she had learned last night; although the Cullens didn't own one, they certainly had enough money to pay for flights in one. The flight, she learned, would take about thirteen hours - she grimaced at this, not keen on long plane journeys.

Drying her hair with more care than she usually would have, and doing the same with her make up, she tried giving her reflection a pep talk, but merely ended up glaring at herself.

If they didn't like her, she was in for one hell of a fortnight.

Peter had already met the Cullen family, although not the two girlfriends that would be accompanying them upon this holiday, and Charlotte had not met any of them. This made Bella feel slightly more comfortable - she wouldn't be the only strange face. And from the way Peter described them, they sounded nice enough - but was that just them being polite to someone they had to be polite to?

They caught a taxi to Seattle airport. The driver was curious as to their destination; he was friendly enough, and yet Peter was guarded with his answers, merely mentioning that their flight would land in Rio de Janeiro.

She knew, again from last night's discussions, that they would then head off from the east coast, to an island where they would stay for the two weeks. If she wasn't quite so nervous about meeting and staying with them, she would have been excited. It sounded luxurious; better than she could ever have expected with Charlie or Renee.

Bella had flown before, of course, although not on a private plane, and so the Seattle airport was familiar to her. She found it amusing, then disconcerting, when the tired old man they asked for help from transformed into an overly respectful, ever-helpful guide as soon as Peter showed him the papers that would allow them to board the private plane.

And after that, everything happened quickly.

There was very little waiting time or fuss; the old man cheerily waved them goodbye, they had their passports and boarding passes checked, luggage taken off of them and were ushered into a small room as they were assured the wait would be 'minimal'.

"Peter!" The pleased exclamation came from a blond man, sitting in one of the chairs in the room. The others were there, too, looking up and curious, but she kept her focus on the man - on Carlisle, she corrected herself. He was the boys' father; she recognised him from her research.

He was extraordinarily handsome, Bella noted; looking far younger than he should with seventeen and nineteen year old sons. He stood to greet them, smiling warmly at the trio. "How are you? And this must be - Charlotte?"

Peter grinned back, shaking Carlisle's hand. "Indeed. And this-" he ushered Bella forward, "Is Bella, my nephew's daughter."

Bella would have been perfectly content to simply melt into the background and sulk at that point, but she managed to muster a small "Hi," and a wave, greeting not just Carlisle but the entire room. Her face had to be tomato red, or maybe it was deathly pale, she supposed, she couldn't actually feel her face; she was moving on autopilot now.

A woman who had been sat next to Carlisle stood, walking over to them, again, smiling. "Hello, Charlotte, Bella. It's a pleasure to finally meet you; I'm Esme." She had a warm, maternal feel to her - and with hair the colour of caramel and a pale, heart-shaped face, she too was beautiful.

Bella's mind screamed _inadequate_!

Charlotte smiled back at Esme; there was already a friendship there, you could tell. Peter moved off to greet the other members of the band, leaving Bella an opportunity to study them.

The first thing she noticed was their looks. She'd seen the posters and heard the fangirl hype, but she'd put that down to Photoshop and the manipulation of a teenage girl's propensity to over-romanticise. But the trio of teenagers, greeting Peter with smiles and handshakes, were undeniably beautiful.

There was the one she knew must be Jasper - longish, curly blond hair flopped in his eyes as he laughed, and he held the hand of a tiny, pixie-like girl. When his eyes glanced curiously over at Bella, she could see they were a deep blue, almost navy. He was pale, like his mother and father, with high cheekbones making his face angular and dramatic.

And there was Emmett, unmistakeable. Angela had never been very into muscles, but Bella had heard the other girls at school talking about him. How they found him attractive was not totally beyond Bella's grasp - he had curly hair, and dimples that made him look like a little boy - but his stature, huge and strong, intimidated her slightly too much. Not to mention the blonde bombshell that grasped his arm - the pair looked scary enough for each other.

And then finally, Edward. The single one, the one most fangirls cooed over and dreamt about. From his copper hair - Bella had to agree with what Angela had told her almost a week before, he _wasn't_ ginger - to the bright green eyes and crooked smile, he was by far the most beautiful.

_Ohmygod. Isabella Marie Swan, what have you got yourself into?_

"Bella?" Peter beckoned her, and although all she really wanted to do was flee, she grudgingly made her way over to the group.

"Hi," She managed to mumble, when she reached them, and then immediately berated herself for sounding like such an idiot.

There was a pause so pregnant it could have been expecting triplets, and then Edward spoke. "Pleased to meet you, Bella." He extended his hand, Bella shaking it bemusedly and greeting him in return. "I'm Edward, this is Jasper and Emmett - although I suppose you know that?" He wasn't unfriendly, sounding merely curious. She supposed it was better than the verbal lashing she'd been nightmaring about for the past few days.

Jasper introduced himself coolly, evidently not bothered by her presence, whereas Emmett appeared to be the other extreme, grinning at her and waving a hand the size of her head.

"I'm Alice," Jasper's tiny girlfriend seemed pleased to see her, even extending her arms out for a hug, much to Bella's surprise. The blonde in introduced herself as Rosalie, as haughty as could be.

Chatter resumed, mostly between one band-mate or another and Peter, although Esme and Charlotte were sitting by the door, bonding and laughing together. Alice engaged Jasper in a flurry of quick conversation - and Bella shoved her hands in her pockets, feeling out of sorts and lonely already.

What had she agreed to?

**_So - she finally meets them. Thanks for reading, and please, leave a review :)_**


	8. Chapter 8: Meetings

_**Unfortunately, I'm not Stephanie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I'm also not infringing.**_

Bella boarded the plane, apprehensive.

It wasn't that she was scared of flying; she'd travelled by plane often enough, when moving between her mother and her father's care, for it to become second nature. But when making the relatively short journey from Phoenix to Seattle, she knew she didn't have to speak to anyone or to make friends. She knew that not getting along with the other people in her plane wouldn't amount to two weeks of misery.

She was more scared of being excluded, feeling like the odd one out, not being wanted. But as she glanced around the plane - completely unlike what she had been expecting - she realised she really had no way out. Hoisting her bag higher on her shoulder, she told herself to grow up and be sociable.

Once faced with the problem of choosing a seat, she quailed once more.

The plane seated maybe fifteen altogether, arranged in two square C shapes around the edge of the cabin. Rather than individual chairs, they were more like couches with seat belts. The adults were settling into the right hand side, clearly leaving the left to the youngsters.

Alice and Jasper had taken part of one couch, Jasper in the aisle and Alice curling up against him. Emmett and Rosalie had taken the seats backing the walls of the cabin, and Edward the centre seat opposite Alice.

That left her with two choices. One in between Emmett and Alice, in a corner seat and two, in the aisle next to Edward. Nervously, suppressing the blush as well as she could, she sidled up to Alice. "Can I sit here?"

Alice glanced up, a smile on her delicate face. "Of course!"

Bella settled in quietly, feeling forgotten once again as the talk continued. She could feel the looks she was getting - not necessarily negative, but not positive either - and focussed hard on the book she'd pulled out from her carry on bag.

"So, Bella," To her surprise, Emmett turned to her once they were in the air, his expression solemn. "Tell us about yourself." He steepled his fingers under his chin, giving her an inquisitive look that slipped when Alice leaned over and slapped his knee.

"Be sensible, Emmett!" She chided, then turned to smile reassuringly at Bella, rolling her eyes slightly. "He's an idiot sometimes."

Nervously, Bella giggled, especially when Emmett adopted a hurt look on his face, puppy dog eyes and all. "I was only curious!" Despite their playful banter, Bella was still on edge. Rosalie was shooting her snide looks, and Edward had barely moved, sitting staring out of the window in an accurate imitation of a statue of a Greek god.

"Well," Bella interjected suddenly, conjuring up boldness as best as she could, "There's really little to be curious about. I'm Bella Swan, seventeen. I go to Forks high and I'm Peter's great-niece." She shrugged, smiling awkwardly.

Jasper, his arm around Alice, looked up and grinned at her. "Nothing compared to a world famous boy band?" He asked, dryly. The words could have sounded harsh, but coupled with the tone and smile, it simply made Bella relax slightly more.

"Well, no," She admitted. "It's not really, is it?"

"Are you a fan?" Bella should have seen the question coming. Instead, Alice's bright voice floored her and removed the slight smile that had been slipping onto her face. A glance to her left showed that Edward had turned to face them, green eyes watching inquisitively.

There was a _very_ awkward pause.

And then Alice giggled. "Okay, I guess not. Don't worry, neither was I." The tension broke, and even Edward cracked a smile. "It's probably a good thing. I'm sure you can appreciate how annoying fangirls can be."

"So - how did you meet? If you- didn't like the music?"

Alice smiled at her tentative question. "I want to go into the fashion industry. I decided I wanted to do some work experience, and one of my family friends managed to swing it so that I got two weeks working in Vampiric's backstage wardrobe. I was expecting to have to work with three arrogant jerks." She smiled up at Jasper. "I was wrong."

Emmett cleared his throat. "Instead, you had to work with _two_ arrogant jerks, and me!" He interjected, earning a scowl from Jasper and a chuckle from Edward. They started to argue playfully, Jasper sitting forward, leaving Alice free to speak to Bella.

"They can be scary," She admitted. "And I can't imagine coming here, being the outsider, was something you particularly looked forward to. But they're good people."

Bella nodded. "I'm sure they are." She twisted her mouth into a wry grin. "I'm just a tad socially inept."

Alice laughed at this, a long pealing giggle. "But you're here. And so far, you've not done anything inexcusable, just been a bit shy. I've known worse." Leaning closer to Bella, her eyes sparkling, she continued. "Some of those girls have superhman speed, I'm not joking; at one of the last concerts, one of the girls in the audience just tried to _launch_ herself at Edward."

Bella half-giggled, then looked worried. "Was he okay?"

Alice snickered. "Oh, of course. Just a little traumatised."

They both laughed again, and Bella began to think that, just maybe, this might be okay after all.

_**Please, review :) I appologise for the wait, I was on a trip to Italy and didn't have internet, but the next update should be in he next couple of days.**_


	9. Chapter 9: Singing

**_Unfortunately, I'm not Stephanie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I'm also not infringing._**

_"I dream of being brave, I dream of being strong,_

_I dream of being smart, of knowing what goes on,"_

Bella sat still, her eyes locked on the window opposite her seat. For more than an hour, she and Alice had talked, occasionally joining in with the other conversations around them. Slowly, she'd relaxed more and more, opening up to the others. She'd laughed a lot more than she'd ever expected to; between Emmett's constant joking and Jasper's wry and often ironic statements, there'd been cause enough.

They'd later settled down to watch a film - there had been a lot of banter between Alice and Emmett over exactly what they would watch. Esme reminded them they could both watch different movies, but in the end, they asked Bella, who had chosen a comedy to appease them both.

And now, Edward was singing.

It had been Esme's idea, initially. Amongst Edward's hand luggage - clearly, there was no real limit for the private jet - he'd brought a guitar, although Jasper and Emmett had put theirs in the hold.

It was a private performance someone like Angela would have killed for. Grudgingly, reluctantly, almost guiltily, Bella conceded that he was good - very good. Edward alternated between picking melodies and strumming chords, and his voice... Bella remembered the voice she'd deemed to be autotuned as she'd driven Jacob home, and mentally compared that to what she was hearing now. If anything, the sound filling the hold was better.

Bella allowed herself to study Edward's guitar. It was... gorgeous. In the centre, it was black, with flames of amber-gold licking the edges and melding into the middle.

_"I dream of being practical, I dream of knowing what to do,_

_I dream of being loved, and I guess I dream of you,"_

Bella glanced up. Edward's eyes were downcast, his focus mainly on the neck of the guitar, where he was shaping the chords, but barely a second after she'd focussed on him, his gaze shifted, his green eyes meeting hers. Mortified, she turned away, desperately concentrating on the floor as Edward completed the , and then Emmett joined him for the last two lines, and the guitar all but dropped away, leaving them with an almost a cappella finish.

_"I dream of being confident, of knowing what to be,_

_But most of all, you know, I dream of being me."_

Bella shivered, and broke out into applause as the rest of the plane did the same. Edward merely smiled slightly, looking faintly embarrassed, but Emmett stood, bowing and pretending to catch objects from a false audience.

Alice turned to Bella, eyes sparkling. "Did you like it?"

Bella blinked, a small smile slipping onto her face. She nodded slowly, her grin widening. "Yes. That was..." She shook her head. "Brilliant. Amazing. You have an amazing voice." She addressed Edward for the last part.

He spoke directly to her for the first time since boarding the plane. "Thank you." He seemed genuinely pleased by the compliment, although Bella was sure he must receive it all the time. "Do you sing, or play at all?"

She laughed embarrassedly. "No. I had piano lessons very briefly, but that was years ago. And definitely no singing - I'm a hazard to eardrums worldwide." She cringed even as she said it - how more idiotic could she sound? But to her relief, he smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling as her looked at her.

"I'm sure you can't be that bad." He offered. "And if you are, at least you know it - no trying o sing when you really can't." He grinned at her again, and then, almost abruptly, he looked away, ending their conversation. Bella shook her head, bemused.

Beside her, Alice was grinning - at what, Bella wasn't sure, although she did seem to simply be the type of person to smile a lot.

Talking to Alice had been a definite confidence booster. She'd embellished on her story of meeting Jasper - that they made a cute couple, Bella couldn't deny. He would interject occasionally, usually to compliment her, and if his arm wasn't around her shoulders, his hand was holding hers, or she was curled up into his side.

Alice had clearly been worried about Bella being a huge fan of Vampiric, and seemed relieved that although worried about getting along with and being accepted by the group, Bella didn't fawn over the members and their every word. She was, however, determined to prove to Bella that she _should_ be fan of them - and after hearing Edward sing, she couldn't deny that Alice was right.

He was singing again, this time with Jasper holding Edwards guitar and adding vocals in with Emmett. They both sang well - Bella decided she preferred Edward's voice, but she would have had a hard time justifying why. It seemed more versatile, lighter than Emmett's bass, but softer than Jasper's, more melodic, almost.

Sh shook her head at herself. She wasn't a music student - she should just try to enjoy the music without analysing it as well.

The only thing was Rosalie.

Bella couldn't be sure whether she was being paranoid or perceptive, but the beautiful blonde hadn't spoken a word to her. She didn't seem the cliched jealous girlfriend, interrupting Emmett every time he spoke to Bella, but she had recieved glance after cutting glance. Just being in proximity with Rosalie was a self-esteem knocker, but Bella couldn't help but feel a little defiantly annoyed. She hadn't done anything, and he rest of the group liked her well enough, as far as she could tell.

"Bella?" Peter called her over, patting the empty seat beside him. "How are you doing?"

Aware that Carlisle and Esme were watching her curiously, she smiled. "Well. I really like Alice, she's sweet. And Edward plays and sings magnficently - they all do."

Charlotte smiled, pleased by this. She'd known that Bella was anxious, and the fact that she appeared to be getting along well was good. Carlisle and Esme were curious about Bella, naturally, and quickly engaged her in conversation about herself.

"So - are you musical?" Carlisle asked her.

Bella reacted in much the same way as she had when Edward had asked her a similar question, laughing and shaking her head. "No. I suppose I wish I was, but although I had piano lessons years ago, I was young enough to not want them, and I've never really had the chance since. I can't sing in the slightest, either."

Esme smiled. "We insisted the boys had lessons when they were small. They protested too, but look where it's got them!"

Bella laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're glad you made them stick with them."

They chatted for a while longer - Esme was curious about her school and education, and interested in where she was thinking about going to college, and as Bella stood to rejoin Alice - they had picked out another film to watch - she leaned forward, patting Bella's hand. "I know Rosalie cn be difficult," She whispered, "But I promise you, she is not awful - you seem a lovely girl, and she will see that."

Bella smiled, touched.

_**If you're still reading, please review :) It would make me smile**_


	10. Chapter 10: Arrival

_**Unfortunately, I'm not Stephanie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction . I'm also not infringing.**_

The air was dry and hot, and the slight breeze that swept over Bella as she descended the plane steps was warm, a complete antithesis to the weather in Seattle when they'd left. It was similar to Phoenix in summer, and Bella smiled to herself, glad to be finally rid of the wet and cold that was omnipresent in Forks.

The sun was slipping down over the airport building as the group gathered at the base of the steps, and although she had been yawning as she left the plane, still waking up from the several hours of sleep she had just had, she was wide awake and wide eyed, glancing around her as they made their way to the airport building.

One warm, bustling half an hour later, two taxis had picked them up from the airport, and they were heading towards the coast. She had volunteered to travel with the adults, seeing sense in dividing the group up equally, but Esme had pointed out that it would be a bad idea to allow Emmett and Jasper to travel together unsupervised. Instead, Bella had been coaxed into taking a taxi with Carlisle, Esme, Emmett, and Rosalie. Despite her instinctive shyness around Rosalie, Carlisle and Esme were talking with Bella, telling her more about the island. Emmett and Rosalie were half listening, mostly engrossed in their own conversation.

"It's only a mile or so out," Carlisle informed her. "About half forest. The rest is beaches. The house is quite large, with nine or ten bedrooms, a large kitchen and dining room – everything you'd expect. There is no pool, but it's right on the seafront, so there's really no need. It's mostly sand beaches, although towards the western side, it gets a bit more rocky, perfect for snorkelling or diving." He moved on to describe the size of the island and roughly where it was, until the driver interrupted him with a tentative question in Portuguese. It surprised Bella when he replied fluently; she, of course had no idea what they were talking about.

"Where do you go to school, Bella?" Esme asked.

"Just in Forks, where I live. There's not much choice, but there is a school on the Quileute reservation nearby; my friend goes there."

Carlisle nodded, turning back from his brief conversation. "Do you enjoy school? What are your grades like? If you don't mind me asking."

Bella shrugged. "Yeah, I guess. I'm a bit of a bookworm; I particularly enjoy English, although I'm not too keen on Trigonometry. And grades… mostly As, I guess." She blushed slightly, squirming.

Both Carlisle and Esme looked impressed.

Emmett leaned over, a grin on his face. "You and Edward are perfect for each other," He teased. "You can go off and nerd together."

Her cheeks reddened further, but she was saved from replying by Esme chiding Emmett good-naturedly. "Don't be mean about your brother because he gets good grades," She told him, shaking her head, but he just chuckled, brushing off her admonishment.

"I mean it," He told her, more seriously. "Talk to him about books. He'll love it." Even as she reassured herself she'd never have the courage to, she began thinking, wondering about what kinds of things he liked to read, about whether he'd read any books she particularly loved, whether he'd brought anything she'd have liked to read.

From the seafront, they caught a small boat – which, to her surprise, Carlisle manned himself, even allowing Edward a turn at the helm. Safely wedged between her own suitcase and a large turquoise one that could only have been Alice's, she leaned slightly over the edge, watching the water boiled as they passed through it, turning to observe the wake the boat left, lighter than the dark blue of the sea.

The light of the setting sun glimmered off the sea, as dazzling as it was gorgeous, and, shielding her eyes against the glare, she saw a smudge against the horizon. As they drew closer, the island came into view.

As promised, it was gorgeous. Pale sand beaches lead up to small dunes, and beyond that, almost reaching a spur of the forest, a gorgeous house. As they drew nearer, Bella could see the light glinting off large windows, clearly designed to open onto the beachfront.

The sand, as they stepped ashore, was almost too hot to go barefoot on, but Bella didn't care.

She already loved it here.

Later that night, once the sun had fully set, they sat around on the beach. They had gone for a swim almost immediately, basking in the remaining light, until Esme had called them back in, dealing them a simple meal of salad and bread. Bella found herself to be hungrier than she'd thought, although she'd eaten on the plane, and as they sat outside, talking, Bella found herself yawning once more, her eyes drooping.

"Bedtime?" Esme suggested, not only looking at Bella but at Jasper too, who was leaning sleepily on a still-energetic Alice, and Emmett, who had finally shut up and was half asleep where he lay. "Come on, all of you; we still need to choose rooms."

With a lot of groaning, the group stood, collecting bags and suitcases from where they'd dumped them in their haste to get into the water. There were more than enough bedrooms for one each, and Bella chose one at the end of a corridor, next to Alice, that shared a bathroom, situated between the two rooms. It faced the sea, with door-windows allowing you to move straight from the room to the beach. She stood for a moment, toothbrush in hand, looking at the glass that was almost a mirror, with the darkness outside.

She'd never been particularly pleased by her appearance, but she surprised herself by grinning at her reflection. This entire experience was so surreal, but amazing - she gave herself an excited hug and mini-dance, then shook her head and moved into the bathroom.

Alice was there, setting out an alarming array of products and looking adorable in pyjamas printed with deer on them. They smiled at each other, Bella still a little shyly.

The remainder of the plane journey had been filled with a couple of films, and a lot of sleeping towards the end, but mostly talking. Bella had grown in confidence as the journey progressed - although Rosalie still seemed haughty, she was the only one like that. Both Jasper and Emmett had been boisterous, the latter excessively so, closely followed by Alice. She was talkative, being the main person to get Bella to open up and speak to the group - and she was friendly, through and through, constantly putting Bella at ease.

Edward, to Bella's surprise, seemed the quietest. Not in the same way as Rosalie, however - he was almost shy, and definitely thoughtful. And, as Emmett had said, he seemed intelligent.

Obviously, she'd not asked about the books, as curious as she was.

It scared her slightly, but as shy and awkward as she still felt, she fitted in here. Their obviously close group had swelled to accommodate her, and as she fell asleep, her only thought was that she hoped it continued to do so.

_**So, Bella's a little happier with the group :) I'll be happy if you review ;)**_


	11. Chapter 11: Excitement

_**Unfortunately, I'm not Stephanie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. And I'm certainly not infringing**_.

A soft knock on her door woke Bella from a vague dream about a car chase, no doubt inspired by the action film Emmett had finally got to watch the day before.

"Hello?" Bleary and bemused, she sat up slightly, glancing around her room as she remembered where she was.

"It's Jasper," Came the quiet response, "We're eating breakfast, if you're hungry."

"Oh! Um, thanks, yes. I'll just be out in a minute." She scrambled out of bed, sleepiness forgotten as she hurried to dress. Glancing in the bathroom mirror, she scowled at her outrageous bed head, but pulled it up into a quick bun, deciding it would have to do until she got properly ready.

She needn't have bothered even dressing; most of those that were already in the kitchen were still in pyjamas. She blinked at Rosalie's fire engine red tank top and shorts, thinking of her own ratty sweatpants in dismay. To her relief, the boys were wearing t-shirts, even though she'd seen them in swimming trunks the day before and most likely would later. She didn't quite think she could sit opposite a shirtless Edward Cullen and make normal, blush free conversation over breakfast.

_Goodness, Isabella, how much of a prude are you?_ She asked herself.

There was something undeniably attractive about him, though, with mussed up hair and a yawn. She caught herself looking at him, admiring the curve of his lips and curls of his hair, and quite forcibly told herself off. That route wouldn't be good, not good at all.

Her shyness, almost dissolved after the long journey the day before, was reappearing, and she made sure to keep her head down as she readied her breakfast, not meeting anybody's eyes.

"So, what are we doing today?" Emmett asked excitedly, once everybody had sat down. The adults were at the head of the table, at the opposite end from Bella. They looked over interestedly as Emmett spoke, although the question had been directed less at them and more at the younger part of the group. "I vote we just have a lazy day - sun, beach, and barbeque."

Bella didn't have any objections to this, and wouldn't have voiced them anyway. The only complaints came from Alice, who merely reminded him that at some point, she wanted to return to Rio to shop and look around the city.

Bella pondered this as she chewed her cereal. She was certainly interested in exploring the town, and she knew she'd owe Angela and Jacob Christmas presents when she returned. She still hadn't decided what she was going to tell Angela, although she knew that it would most likely have to be the truth, due to her less-than-stellar lying skills. If Angela was annoyed, she supposed she could tell her that it had to be kept secret, but she still felt guilty, for the lies, and for the experience.

Imagining how much Angela would have loved to be here wasn't helping, either.

"Bella?"

Alice's voice interrupted her thoughts, and she glanced up with a hesitant smile. "Yes?"

"The boys were just discussing beach baseball." She snorted slightly at the idea. "Rosalie was all for it, being Miss Everysport, but I'm not exactly athletic. What about you?"

Bella chuckled slightly. "You're not the only one. I trip over flat ground at a walking pace, so most sports are out, for me. I'm not bad at swimming, though, as I'm pretty sure you can't fall over in the sea."

Alice beamed, looking delighted.

"How does beach baseball work, then?" Bella asked her. "What about the sea?"

Alice shook her head, smiling slightly. "It's crazy. You always lose a ball or two, and since Emmett hits the hardest he's usually responsible. You set up your pitches, a little closer than you might normally, because it's hard to run on sand, and you play pretty much normally." She continued explaining as she stood to put her bowl away, and Bella followed suit, "But if you do hit it in the sea, you have to remain on first base - it's like an incentive to _not_ whack it there. I can't hit or catch, although I bowl pretty well, so I'm usually first out."

Bella smiled. "I don't know. I can't see you being any worse than me."

Once back in her room, she brushed her teeth and changed quickly, eager to get out into the water. She hadn't yet accessed the beach from her room, and so she slid the doors open, stepping outside eagerly.

"Ow!" Hopping backwards, Bella swore, scowling at the sand. It looked innocent enough, but even this early, it was scorching hot. She searched for her flip flops, then tried once more, tentatively.

She winced as some sand spilled up against the sides, but it was far easier to walk wearing shoes. She could already see the others, down by the waterfront, and hurried to meet them.

Rosalie was inching into the water, closely followed by Alice. Bella kicked off her shoes, making sure to stand on the damp, cooler sand, and took the first step in. "It's freezing!" She exclaimed.

Rosalie nodded grimly, one of the first times she'd acknowledged Bella, then shrieked as Emmett bounded into the sea, scooping her around the waist and bringing her fully into the water. Jasper copied him, catching Alice, who screamed and attempted to bat him away.

Bella was left, staring warily at Edward. He was smiling thoughtfully; she could well imagine him attempting to stroke an imaginary beard. "You wouldn't dare?" She tried to warn him, but it came out as a question.

He tilted his head, suddenly grinning. "I would." And then he was charging her, scooping her up and knocking her over.

Bella surfaced, dripping wet and shivering, but she laughed along with the others. Not only had Edward's hands and sudden proximity felt incredible, but she was back to feeling like she belonged.

Later than day, Bella escaped inside to collect a book, opting to sit in the shade for a bit, and read. Her unfairly pale skin was already pinking up, and she knew better than to push it. Sunburn was a devil, and not even years of living in Phoenix had trained her skin to do anything but burn easily.

Peter caught up with her in the kitchen, where she'd stopped to get a glass of water. "You look like you're having fun." He smiled down at her, leaning against a counter as she drank.

She beamed at him. "Yes. It's amazing here, and everyone's so nice. Thank you so much." It was true; even Rosalie had begun warming to her, after the Edward incident, bonding over mutual indignation.

He chuckled. "It's not me you should be thanking, it's Carlisle and Esme. But it's good you're getting on well; I know Charlotte said you were nervous."

Bella rolled her eyes. Of course. "I should have guessed she'd talk to you. And of course I'll thank Carlisle and Esme, I was just thanking you for... getting to be their manager, I suppose."

Peter smiled. "I know you didn't like them; I'd heard you rant a couple of times when one of their songs came on the radio or was being played in shops. But thank you for coming along. I think you're wowing them just as much as they're wowing you, and you are a real credit to me and Charlotte."

Bella blushed, touched. She opened her mouth to say something, then hesitated, and closed it again. "It's a lot harder to hate people you don't know," she finally acknowledged. "And when you can't actually make a justified claim as to their talent. But I can now, and my opinion has completely reversed. And... I think I'm just going to hope I can meet them all again."

"Keep up with the manners and the friendliness," he advised her, "And I honestly don't see why _they_ wouldn't want to meet _you_ again."

She smiled her thanks, refilled her glass, and moved to sit outside.

Oh, and Bella!" Peter called. "I got a deal with my phone contract, meaning I can call home without it being too expensive. If you want to later, you can call Jacob and your father, and tell them how you're doing."

She blinked. "That would be brilliant. Thank you."

_**If you're still reading this, please leave a review - even just to tell me it sucks ;) I'm going away tomorrow for about a month (Crete! *happy dance*) with unknown quantities of internet access. But I'll keep writing, and obviously upload if I get the chance! **_

_**Thanks for reading :)**_


	12. Chapter 12: Speaking

_**I'M BACK! With an extra-long chapter for you to enjoy. **_

_****__**Unfortunately, I'm not Stephanie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. And I'm certainly not infringing**_.

Gasping and spluttering as yet another wave hit her, Bella kicked back to where she could stand, then waded out of the water, clutching a red baseball and shivering. Edward, on first base, looked irritated, but Alice, bowling, was giggling in delight.  
She tossed it haphazardly over, taking her stance again by the water. So far, it hadn't required much moving; most of the Cullens and assorted girlfriends appeared careful to not hit it into the water, but Edward had made a bad swing, knocking it into the sea. Rosalie, next up to bat, gave Alice a wide grin, and the game resumed.  
Despite her inability to play, she was having fun, and the fast pace was waking her up from her semi-nap after she'd read.  
As soon as the ball left Alice's hand, Edward was away, slipping and sliding across the unsteady surface towards second base. Despite the difficulty the sand presented with running, he was awfully graceful, moving with the fluid movements of a practised runner. But in watching Edward, Bella fumbled another catch - was it her third, or fourth? - failing to get Emmett out. He sprinted across the hot sand, touching home base long before Bella retrieved the ball.  
Her cheeks burned, and she hoped they would put it down to the heat of the sun rather than anything to do with ogling Edward Cullen. She could claim tiredness, she thought, or sunburn, and get out of playing... but even as she thought it, she knew she didn't really want to. The game was as friendly as it was competitive; the only people who seemed to care about the score were Edward and Jasper, who bantered fiercely over who had the lead. They were twins, after all.  
For twins, though, they didn't look much alike. Both were tall, and lean, although neither was as muscular as Emmett. And that was where the similarities ended. Jasper had honey-blond hair, longish and curling at the nape of his heck. Earlier, as they had swum, the water had weighed the curls down, straightening and lengthening his hair down his back. Edward's was bronze-brown, similarly wavy but not as long, standing up in disarray. She couldn't see Jasper's eyes, but remembered them being dark, brown maybe... and how could she forget Edward's eyes, green and glittering as he smiled?  
Bella sighed; she'd been wrong. There was another similarity. They were both unfairly attractive.  
To her relief, they were called in for lunch before she was up to bat, although there was talk of continuing the game. Jasper complained about being lumbered with the two 'clumsies', as he called Alice and Bella; she'd joked about it earlier, and he smiled as he said it, so clearly no offence was meant or taken.  
But as she stepped inside, she felt a tap on her shoulder, and turned, expecting Alice or maybe Emmett.  
It was Rosalie.  
Bella tried not to let the shock show on her face. "Yes?" She asked, wondering whether she'd left something on the beach... but no, she had everything with her, and Rosalie was empty handed save for the T-shirt she carried, one of her own.  
"What _are _you doing here? Are you really Peter's niece or whatever? You can't really hate Vampiric; you wouldn't be here if you did. Why would he bring you?"  
Bella blinked, surprised at Rosalie's tone. While it wasn't openly scathing, there was doubt behind it, and she was fairly certain that she wasn't popular with the blonde girl.  
"I'm Peter's great-niece, not his niece. I'm here... I guess Carlisle and Esme invited me along with Peter and Charlotte; they don't have any kids." She felt a bit ridiculous, standing in the doorway and pleading for her place on the holiday. "And no, I wasn't a fan of Vampiric. I thought they were just mass-produced pop music... but I was wrong. From what I heard on the plane, they _do _have talent - a lot of it." She still felt uncomfortable, and awkward.  
Not only was Rosalie stunning, even with wet hair and no makeup, but she got the feeling she was being interrogated without knowing what crime she was accused of. "Why _you,_ though?"  
Bella sighed, becoming a little terse despite her self-consciousness. "Who else? I don't have any siblings. Maybe he just thought I would have liked a holiday."  
Rosalie's eyes glittered, an unnerving shade of blue that was almost violet. "I saw you watching Edward," she hissed. "And let me tell you this: he's not interested in a simpering fangirl, and pretending you aren't one isn't going to help you, at all. Just leave him alone."  
Bella was so startled she laughed, her lips curving involuntarily upwards. Rosalie looked put out by this reaction, and so she continued giggling, her hand over her mouth. "You think I came here to seduce Edward?" The words were so alarmingly out of character for her that she snickered again. "No way. He's attractive, and all," she added, seeing Rosalie's eyes narrow once more, "but I have no designs on him. I swear." She smiled once more, and then turned, heading inside.  
If any of the others heard their exchange, they didn't show it, and she was relieved. Despite her reaction to Rosalie's words, they worried her. Did he think of her that way? Did _she _think of _him_ that way? It was true, she found him attractive, incredibly so, in fact... but almost every girl she knew did. She barely knew him, but did he already believe her to be mooning over him, crush-stuck and secretly adoring?  
If he did, then maybe he was more of an arrogant jerk than she'd thought him. She'd not given him any real reason to think that - despite maybe watching him on the beach, although she didn't think he'd have noticed it. He _was_ on the opposing team; he would most likely assume she was seeing whether he'd be caught out or not.  
But whether she liked him or loved him, she could never confess that to him, and never would try to pursue him.  
Taking a seat by Alice, and giving Jasper a shy smile, she was struck momentarily by the situation; about how surreal it was. Here she was, eating and laughing with a group of people millions of others dreamed about meeting. A good deal of the world's population knew, or at least believed they knew, Edward, Jasper and Emmett. How often had she listened to Angela gush about Jasper's love of speaking in a Southern accent, or Emmett's constant pranking?  
"You're catching the sun," A quiet voice by her shoulder made her jump, and she turned, surprised to see Edward there. Even as she noted Rosalie watching them, she smiled at him.  
"It's one of the perks of living in Forks," she joked, craning her neck to scan her arms and shoulders. "Instant sunburn when you're not covered by clouds. Where?" She asked.  
Smiling, he lightly touched the centre of her back, at the top of her neck. "Just there. Not badly... but you might want to watch out." And then he moved on, taking a seat by Emmett, leaving Bella with a thanks she had meant to say and the feeling of his fingers on her back.  
Hours later, they were singing again.  
Lit by the flickering light of a bonfire, the three boys sat in a loose circle, playing and singing and smiling. It was clear that they were comfortable, not in the least bit shy, and completely absorbed by the music.  
As was Bella. These were songs you almost couldn't help but know, what with the frequency they were played on the radio, in shops, and often even in adverts. But somehow, even with the rougher sound, with the waves and the cracking of the wood as it burned, the music was so much more captivating.  
Bella hugged her knees to her chest. The rest of the day had passed lazily; no more beach baseball had been played, both she and Alice refusing to take part again. Jasper followed suit, acceding to his girlfriend's silent but demanding wishes.  
Edward teased him a little, asking whether he was sitting out for Alice or because his team was losing, and a playfight ensued, neither really gaining an advantage until Esme appeared, chiding the boys and shaking her head apologetically at Bella. She didn't mind, it had been funny to watch - Jasper was clearly the better fighter, but Edward seemed to have better reflexes, almost managing to know Jasper's moves before he made them.  
She sighed silently. Jasper was adding a sweet tenor counter melody to Edward's part now, all fighting forgotten. Emmett, uncharacteristically, was silent, focussed hard on the bass line he was plucking out. The lyrics were poetic, perfect, and she wondered idly who wrote them. She could well believe the music was written by the trio, they seemed talented enough, but which of the three boys was a poet as well as a musician?  
The song ended, trailing into silence, and after a small pause for applause, they began the next. It was more up tempo, something she'd never heard before, fiercer. Edward's voice changed, becoming lower and stronger; she shivered, this was so unlike how he normally sounded, quiet and smooth.  
_You're a liar, a two-faced smiler,_  
_Burning with all kinds of fire_  
_Can't you see, don't you know?_  
_I'm waiting for:_  
_My hate to grow._  
_My love to go._  
_My hurt to show._  
He was frowning now, as he sung, focussed on moving his hands over the neck of the guitar and the strings. The chord changes and strumming patterns were more complex now, requiring more concentration.  
_You smacked me round the face_  
_Turned our love into our hate_  
_Forgiveness has to be earned._  
_And hey, you've done much more than hurt._  
He threw himself into the singing; he half-laughed bitterly on the last line of that verse - it was something he'd probably not do in a studio recording, but turned it from words strung together into an emotion-filled story. Had he been hurt like that? Was he singing from experience, or just a good actor?  
She leaned her forehead on her knees, closing her eyes and tucking her face into her legs, letting herself feel the music. Emmett and Jasper joined in here, singing what she'd thought was just the first verse as a semi chorus, behind the main words.  
_When you come into the room_  
_I sigh and scowl, silently fume_  
_'Cause God, girl, you've gotta know_  
_I hate you..._  
_I hate you._  
The guitars dropped out, leaving Edward singing solo, slowing down and sweetening.  
_Negative emotions running through my head._  
_Why should I care for you? I heard what you said._  
_Whispering away to your so called friends_  
_I know what you said - "I hate you."_  
There was a moment of silence, letting the last note die out, and then Carlisle spoke, softly, impressed. "I knew you were working on something new, but that was amazing." The pride in his voice was tangible.  
Alice leaned over, whispering in Bella's ear. "They always play us anything new, once it's finished." She informed her. "Other than us, just now, and them as they practised it, no one has heard that before."  
"Do they not play you songs they're working on?" She whispered back, "Like, snippets or melodies they think they like?"  
Chatter had resumed somewhat; Peter and Carlisle were in deep discussion with the boys, and words and phrases such as 'three-part harmony' and 'key modulation' drifted over. Bella had some idea of what they were talking about, from basic piano lessons and what she'd picked up from Peter, but it seemed to mean far more to them than it did her.  
"Well, of course. And Jasper sings to me, showing me some of _his _ideas for stuff, but that's the first time they performed it in its entirety."  
Bella found the admission that Jasper sung to Alice remarkably sweet, and she smiled as she nodded her understanding. He approached them then, dropping to sit next to Alice and kissing her cheek as he did.  
"Do you want a drink?" She asked Alice, standing and brushing the sand off her legs, not wanting to intrude on their time together? The other girl smiled, and shook her head.  
She came back out of the kitchen, and surveyed the scene, smiling. Emmett and Edward were deep in talk, one of them occasionally reaching for their guitar or humming something to each other. Peter and Carlisle were also talking, with Esme and Rosalie watching the fire, occasionally murmuring to one another, and Charlotte leaning against her husband's side. Jasper was now lying down, with Alice's head on his chest. They were talking quietly, Alice running a hand through his hair. There was no doubt that each person fit and was part of this group; there was a peaceful, contented atmosphere hanging over the beach.  
She stood quietly at the edge of the firelight, sipping slowly at her drink, then returned to the kitchen to discard the empty glass.  
"Bella?"  
She'd not switched on the lights, able to see enough without them on, but she recognised the voice. "Edward?"  
He found the light switch, and they both blinked at the sudden glare. "Sorry," he apologised, then paused, looking a bit unsure. "Are you okay?" He asked, clearly not referring just to the brightness.  
She frowned, surprised. "Um... yes? Why?" She began to move out of the kitchen, Edward falling into step beside her.  
He half-chuckled softly. "Our group... it's a bit insular. And there are a lot of couples..." He let that trail off, the silence awkward again, then cleared his throat. "I mean, you seem shy. I didn't want you to feel left out." They reached the beach again, and he sat, patting the sand beside her in invitation.  
She smiled, pleased he'd thought about her. "No," she said, slowly. "I'm fine. And yes, I am shy. But everyone here is friendly... I'm glad I came, although I was reluctant." She carefully didn't mention Rosalie, not wanting to complain when she was being given so much.  
Talking to Edward in the dark was very different to during the day. She felt as though she could speak more freely - and there was always the lack of his startlingly good looks, meaning fewer blushes and a straighter head.  
His voice was questioning when he responded. "Reluctant? Why?"  
She hesitated, glad he couldn't see her. "Well... I _am_ shy, there is that. And I didn't know whether Peter had kind of pressurised Carlisle into inviting me, because I'm the closest they have to a daughter - although that's not likely, he's not like that - or whether you, and Jasper and Emmett would even want me around." She half-laughed. "I didn't want to intrude."  
Edward was clearly smiling, even in the dim light she could see his grin. "Of course not! We met Peter before any of this was planned, and asked him about himself. He told us about Charlotte, and then Esme asked if he had any children... he said, not of his own, or something cryptic like that. And then he told us about you." He shrugged, the movement brushing his shoulder against Bella's. "When we invited him, we asked if you'd want to come along, too."  
So they'd known about her before she'd met them - before she'd even known Peter wanted to manage them. Did they know about Jake, too, how he was practically family? She wondered idly, but it didn't seem so. She was closer to Peter and Charlotte than Jacob, due to the blood relationship between them, but only by a little. She could, sort of, be considered practically their daughter, but Jacob couldn't really be considered their son.  
"Am I living up to your expectations?" She asked wryly, but truly curious of what they'd thought she'd be like.  
His voice was soft; she nearly missed his words. "Bella, you're far exceeding them."


	13. Chapter 13: Piano

_**Unfortunately, I'm not Stephanie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I'm also not infringing. **_

For a few moments after Edward uttered those words, there was silence.  
Not complete silence; there was the rushing of the waves and the crackling of the flames, and the chatter, quiet still, of the others on the beach. And to Bella's ears, there was the pounding of blood in her ears, signifying a blush cooking up a storm on her face.  
Then she took a quiet breath, and smiled. "I'm glad," she said softly, deciding to play it cool, and allow herself the liberty of obsessing over those words in the peace of her own room, later on. "Honestly, though," she continued, more loudly, "What did you expect?"  
Edward chuckled. "At worst? A ditzy fangirl, barely able to breathe whenever we so much as glanced at her, or a girl who hated Vampiric so much she wouldn't give us a chance." He saw Bella glance over, and shrugged, meeting her gaze. "It happens... we've all had hate messages, even the girls."  
Bella inhaled softly, looking over at them. "I read about that... poor Alice, poor Rosalie. I didn't know you got that, too."  
He smiled, shaking his head. "Not us very often - they can't really accuse us of much... and of course, it's not us they dislike. But you'd be surprised with the girls - these people find their Twitter or whatever, and churn out nonsense about them being ugly, and not good enough, or that Emmett and Jasper are cheating on them or using them - and then they claim to be our fans." Edward's voice held real anger. "Rosalie takes it better - she often retaliates back, and well." He seemed amused by this. "And she's self-assured enough that it doesn't really hit her. Alice does get upset, though. She only ever tries to be nice, and friendly - and people know she wasn't a fan before, of course, and use that against her, claiming she isn't 'true' to us."  
Bella could well imagine that - both Rosalie's reaction and Alice's upset seemed real to what she'd seen of them. Thinking about it, the part about the accusation of cheating surprised her, though - Jasper clearly loved Alice with all of his heart, and even though she knew Rosalie and Emmett less well, he treated her with respect and adoration. "I guess they're jealous," she finally guessed, "Because they have something they want badly, and will never have."  
Edward nodded, looking down. Turning to face him properly, and studying his handsome profile, Bella could see regret there, regret and frustration and annoyance. His long eyelashes cast shadows over his cheekbones, flickering in the light of the fire, and his mouth turned down at the corner before he spoke. He looked almost unrealistically beautiful. "We've all said things against it, at interviews and at the beginnings of concerts. Emmett used his official Twitter account to appeal against what was being said against Rosalie. Jasper made a speech at the beginning of some of our concerts a few months ago. Hell, I've said that no fan who did that to us was a fan at all, but you can't stop the world from being mean, can you?"  
Bella shook her head mutely.  
"Edward?" Before she could think of an appropriate response, Emmett moved over to sit by them, a grin on his face. "You remember that little melody Jasper came up with a couple of weeks ago? I think I have a use for it..."  
Bella sat there, semi-forgotten. Edward gave her an apologetic smile after a few minutes of conversation, but without anyone talking to her, she was quickly nodding off.  
She sat there, head against her knees and arms locked round her legs. The two boys were humming and singing, testing out different harmonies against each other. Occasionally, they'd hit a wrong note, or clash, and they'd break off with a laugh, before trying again. She had no idea how they were remembering any of this, or even how they intended to use it, but it was lulling her slowly to sleep.  
Contemplating lying down in the sand versus trying to stay upright, she was almost relieved when Carlisle spoke up from where he was sitting, suggesting they head off to bed.  
"It'll all still be here in the morning," Esme reassured Emmett, when he began protesting. "The island isn't going to disappear."  
Bella, half asleep, wasn't so sure. It all seemed like a dream to her.

Bella woke slowly the next morning, drifting from sleep to consciousness contentedly. It hadn't taken her long to fall asleep the night before; she barely remembered changing and preparing for bed.  
The shower was running in the bathroom next door, and she surmised Alice must be using it. Bella had taken one the day before, before dinner, desperate to get the salt out of her hair, but as she ran a hand though it now, she could feel it was still full of sand.  
She laughed, and reached for a brush. She could, at least, get the tangles out before breakfast. Again, she dressed, slipping her swimming costume on underneath, knowing they'd be on the beach before long.  
The kitchen was only half-full when she emerged; Emmett sat at the table, a manuscript pad in front of him, presumably writing down what he and Edward had worked out the night before, a piece of toast lodged in his mouth. Edward and Jasper were nowhere to be seen; Rosalie was lounging by the toaster, scrolling through something on her phone, and Esme and Charlotte were already seated and eating. Bella smiled vaguely at most of them, avoided Rosalie's eyes, and settled down.  
Alice came in a few minutes later, holding Jasper's hand and yawning widely. Her hair was damp and tousled, but she was dressed, wearing a bikini under her clothes, clearly having had the same idea as Bella.  
Both Rosalie and Alice had worn bikinis rather than swimming costumes like Bella's, and, she thought enviously, they had the figures for it. While Rosalie was more curvaceous, Alice was slender, incredibly so - although it didn't look at all forced, and besides, she ate just as much as any of the others.  
Bella sighed. No one had commented on her choice of swimwear, and she wasn't trying to show anything off. She did wish, however, that she had the confidence to pull something like that off.  
Last of all, after almost everyone had sat down, came Edward. Smiling and greeting everyone through a yawn, he sat himself down next to Emmett, opposite Bella, and watched what he was doing.  
"Did you have words for this?" He asked, after a few minutes of watching.  
Emmett shook his head, frowning slightly. He dropped the pencil, pushing the pad away for a few minutes and beginning to eat properly. "Nope. You?"  
Edward shook his head too, frowning, then hesitated. "Actually... no, I don't think so. I had a couple of lines, but they didn't fit."  
Simultaneously, they both glanced at Jasper, blissfully feeding Alice toast.  
"I'll ask him later." Emmett chuckled, shaking his head at his younger brother. "Maybe he can summon something soppy up about Alice; hell, he's managed to before."  
They both laughed at that, and resumed eating.  
"You work even on holiday?" Bella asked Edward; her question was quiet, and tentative. She wasn't sure that that closeness they'd had the night before was still there.  
But he glanced up, and smiled as he answered his question. "It's not really work." he explained. "I mean, sure, it's what gets us money, but we enjoy composing far too much for it to be _work_."  
Bella smiled at his vehemence. "When did you first start composing?"  
He tilted his head, thinking. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "I played the piano before the guitar, and I was always improvising. I don't think I wrote anything down, or even would have called it composing, but when I started learning the guitar I just continued doing the same thing. And then one day, I put chords and a melody together, and suddenly: a song! Not a good one, and it was only a few bars long, without words, but when Emmett and Jasper decided they wanted to learn the guitar too, and we realised we wanted to make music, we could." He shrugged. "And people decided they liked it."  
Bella chuckled. "They sure did."  
He smiled widely at that, and then asked her a question. "You're not musical, are you?"  
She half-shrugged, grimacing. "My mum made me take piano lessons, years ago, but I just went on and on at her to let me quit... I wasn't the most patient child, and she could play decently, and all I wanted to do was stop playing Frere Jacques and start playing Debussy." He laughed at that, and she smiled awkwardly, "And I've learnt some stuff from Peter - you know, basic music theory. I should like to be musical, but I'm not sure I'd have the willpower to get very far."  
He nodded, considering that. "I know what you mean. It was a few years before I actually enjoyed playing, and I'm just glad Esme made me stick with it, obviously." He seemed to hesitate slightly. "There's a piano, in one of the living rooms - just an upright, but it's nice enough - I didn't know if  
you knew. Or would want to know. Or-"  
"There is?" She stopped him before he could ramble any further; his slight nervousness was endearing. Could this house get any better? Then she grinned. "Yeah. I'd like to see that." The unspoken idea was there - would he play for her?  
They finished eating quickly; they'd paused to talk. Setting his bowl on the side, and taking Bella's from her, Edward lead her through the kitchen and dining room area and another couple of rooms, until they came to a living room.  
It was just as gorgeous as the rest of the house, furnished simply but elegantly, and carpeted in a soft cream colour. There were large bay windows, offering a view across the island, and in the corner, nestled along a wall, sat a sleek black upright, with a stool tucked neatly with it.  
"There we go," Edward announced, crossing the room, Bella hot on his heels. He lifted the lid, and gestured at the keyboard; she tentatively reached out, playing a simple scale.  
"It's gorgeous," she said softly, and it was, both in sound and in looks. "Play something?" She asked, hopefully. He nodded, and sat.  
He huffed after a few second's pause. "Well, great," he said, dryly. "I'm promptly forgotten every piece I ever learned."  
Bella laughed. "What about 'Mary Had a Little Lamb'?" She asked, cheekily. "Even _I _can play that." And so she did, Edward joining in after a few notes.  
"Okay, okay," he said, once their laughing had abated. "Seriously, this time."  
Bella quietened as he began to play. It had a serious, sombre tone, with a slow, repetitive bass line and a haunting melody on top, slowly thickening and quickening until he was playing octaves with his right hand. The piece calmed again, and then finally simplified once more, finishing with a spread chord, in both hands.  
"My God," Bella finally said, as the final note died away. "That was- amazing, Edward. What was it?"  
He cleared his throat, his cheeks slightly pink from her praise. "It was a piece called A Comme Amour'." He told her. "The title basically translates as 'A is for amour'... so, a bit like L is for love or A is for apple." He smiled, slightly bashfully. "It's one of my favourite pieces."  
"Edward! You're playing for Bella?" Esme's voice came from behind them; they both jumped and turned quickly.  
Edward's face morphed into a smile, and Bella tried to follow him, fighting back a blush. "Yeah," he admitted, shrugging. "We were talking about the piano, and lessons and things. I thought she'd want to see our one here."  
Esme smiled at them both, and nodded. "Okay. That's good of you, Edward - do continue. But I warn you - everyone's outside already, so you might want to join them before too long."  
She turned and left, and Edward spun to face Bella on the stool. "We'd probably best get out there," he said, and Bella nodded in agreement.  
For a wild second she thought he was about to take her hand and lead her out of the room, but he just began walking, holding the door for her and heading towards his room, presumably to get dressed.  
Bella sighed and headed outside, a smile on her face.


	14. Chapter 14: Calling

_**Unfortunately, I'm not Stephanie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I'm also not infringing.**_

To Bella's relief, Rosalie didn't mention a thing when she stepped out into the beach, although Alice grinned over with a wink. Bella blushed and waved, but moved over to Peter before greeting anybody else.  
"Can I still call Jacob?" She asked, smiling at her great-uncle.

He nodded, gesturing towards the house. "I think I left it on the counter in the kitchen - the number's saved with the exit code and everything."

She smiled her thanks, and headed back inside.

She'd all but forgotten Jacob for the past two days, absorbed in her new surroundings and friends, and naturally, she now felt guilty. It was only after she dialed his number that she realised he would most likely be still in school. She sighed, and was about to hang up when Jacob's voice, tinny through the phone lines, picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Jacob, hey! It's Bella." Excitement flared though Bella, and she grinned into the phone, leaning back against the counter as she waited for his response.

"Bella? Christ, do you wake early!"

Bella frowned, confused. "Jake, it's half ten."

He groaned. "You're four hours ahead of me, Bella. It's half six."

"Oh God, I'm sorry!" She slapped a hand to her forehead. "I'm an idiot."

"You sure are," He responded, but the amusement was clear in his voice. "So, what's up?"

She chuckled, smiling ridiculously. "Oh, the usual. Hanging out with a boy band in the tropics."

Jacob snorted a laugh in response, and she could well imagine him rolling his eyes. "Yes, Bella, I'm aware," he snarked. "What's it like there?"

"It's wonderful - gorgeous. I keep thinking I'm about to wake up... you'd love it here, you really would. And it's so different from Forks - when we landed I found myself wondering what the big yellow thing in the sky was."

There was a chuckle from the other end of the line. "So Brazil isn't getting the snow La Push is?" Jacob asked. "I'd say you poor thing, but I'm deathly jealous, Bella."

She rolled her eyes. "You know I'd rather be there with you than here with them, really," she reassured him, mostly sincerely. "I miss you, Jakey."

A noise from the doorway made her look up, startled, and she saw Edward walk in, shirtless state cooking up an instant blush on her face. He quickly noted the phone in her hand and made to leave, but she smiled at him and gestured that it was fine. He smiled in response, and she turned back to concentrating on Jacob's words.

"-miss you too, Bella. Christmas is going to suck, you know? But Charlie's coming down, we think, and we'll mourn our loneliness together."

"That sound good, Jake. But don't act _too_ depressed about my absence - remember the party? He's watching us now." Jacob's answering laugh was perfect, she barely minded that Edward was there, pouring orange juice into a cup. He wouldn't understand, anyway.

But as soon as he'd done, he was out of the room, and Bella sighed a sigh of relief. It was just a bit too awkward, talking with Jacob with him around.

"How is everyone? Are they really arrogant jerks?"

Bella scowled. "No. Well, there's one girl," She glanced outside, making sure no one was in earshot, "Who's being a haughty cow, but everyone else seems really nice." She sighed at Jacob's laughter. "Yeah, I know. I was an idiot. And they can sing, and I don't think they _are_ Photoshopped all that much, and..."

Jacob's laughter had abated; Bella's voice was almost a whisper and he could clearly sense her guilt. "Oh, Bella. Don't worry - so you thought badly of them - that doesn't matter, plenty of people do. And it wasn't entirely unfounded, so many bands or singers do use autotune, and a lot of famous people aren't that nice. Do they know what you thought of them?"

She sighed. "Sort of. They know I wasn't a fan, Alice - she's one of the girls, she's really nice - asked me, but I haven't said I hated them or anything. Edward even said he was glad I wasn't like that - and I obviously didn't correct him."  
"Well, no, that probably would have been a bad idea." He seemed amused, and she smiled a little, buoyed by his optimism.

Pushing off the side, she slowly made her way outside, sitting on a partly shady patch just outside the door. She could hear the others shouting and laughing; someone had produced a ball from somewhere and they appeared to be playing a four way piggy in the middle, with an indignant Emmett in the centre. "It indeed would," She responded eventually, distracted slightly. She wanted to get back in the water, and join in, but she really should talk to Jacob for a little longer...

He solved the problem, catching her attention instantly. "What have you told Angela?"

Bella sucked in a breath, instantly grimacing. Jacob was too large a part in her life for her friends to not know him, and he and Angela were particularly close. He knew how much she liked Vampiric, knew how much she'd long to be in Bella's shoes. "Nothing. She thinks I'm in Phoenix - well, everyone does."

Jacob's groan was audible. "When were you planning on telling her?" He asked.

"I have no idea, Jacob. I was reluctant to tell her initially because I was so against the whole idea - she'd have been really hurt that I was considering rejecting an offer she'd love. And then when I'd decided to go, I didn't have a chance, everyone immediately assumed I was going to Phoenix, and I wasn't even sure if I _could_ tell her. And then... I've obviously not had the chance. I suppose that I'll tell her when I get back."

Jacob sighed. "I see what you mean... I just hope she's not..." He trailed off, seemingly unsure about how to end that. "I'm sure she'll be fine. Envious, but fine. And in the meantime - have fun, Bella."

"I will do. Do you want a postcard?" She asked, teasingly.

"Hell yes! I expect two, crammed with tiny handwriting I can't read."

His tone was lofty, and Bella was laughing even as she scowled. "Hey! Let me remind you that your handwriting wouldn't be much better! I'm going to hang up on you if you're mean!"

"Don't you-" He began, but was quickly cut off by a huge yawn. "Dare." He finished.

"Yeah, yeah, Jake. You're tired. I'll call you again tomorrow, later, I promise." She could hear him grumbling slightly, but it was bleary. "Bye, Jake. I love you."

"Love you too, Bella. Bye." The call disconnected.

She sat and smiled at the phone for a few moments, then stood, brushing sand off of her legs to go inside and put away the phone. She took off her top and shorts, placing them in a neat pile atop the sand, and then kicked off her flip flops, hopping rapidly across the sand until she could stay still without the sand burning.

Sitting outside, partially in the sun, had its benefits, one being that she was getting too hot, and the water was a relief rather than too cold. She charged forward, splashing into the water, and then swum leisurely out to the others. Edward smiled as she approached, turning his back on Emmett, who tackled him much as he had Rosalie the day before.

He burst back up, flipping his hair out of his eyes. "Sorry about that," he grumbled, glaring at his older brother, and then, "You probably should be able to stand here; it's not too deep."

She placed her feet down tentatively, meeting sand. The water was up to her chin, but it was easier than treading water. "Oh! I can, yes."

A loud sigh came from Alice. "Guess who can't?" She asked, sourly, paddling, and Bella giggled, remembering that she was four or five inches shorter than her. Jasper, standing behind her, pulled her towards him, and then held her in the water, her arms looped around his neck. Who would have thought a seventeen year old boy would giggle?

Emmett sighed, bouncing the beach ball in his hand. "Well, we've lost them for a few hours," He joked, and glanced at Bella. "You want to play?"

Smiling, she nodded. "Sure. But don't you remember my coordination - or lack of, rather - from yesterday?"

Emmett snorted, amused. "I do. Catch!" He tossed the ball to her, lightly enough that she managed to bounce it back. Laughing, startled, she watched as Edward and Emmett batted it back and forth, far faster and more energetically than Emmett had with her.

Rosalie sighed exaggeratedly, folding her arms over her chest, and tutted. "When they get going with something like this, they won't stop for a while." She said, blandly, not looking in Bella's direction. "You saw Edward and Jasper yesterday."

Bella stared at Rosalie for a while. This girl's mood swings towards her were beginning to give her whiplash. she'd seemed somewhat less aloof after they had all been pulled into the water by the boys, then had warned her away from Edward, and now?

She wasn't sure.

But watching Edward and Emmett play, she couldn't help but laugh. They were utterly focussed on whacking the ball at each other as hard as they could; Edward ducked one throw, and the ball slammed into the water behind him, sending up a shower of spray. He lunged for it, and held it still, rolling his eyes at Emmett.

"I win," He announced, ignoring his brother's protestations. "Can we play baseball again? We'll split Alice and Bella up, this time."

He grinned cheekily at her, ignoring the tongue she stuck out at him. Alice, still in Jasper's arms, glared at him, and he dissolved into laughter. Even Jasper cracked a tentative smile; in response, Alice pouted at him, and he apologized softly, stroking her hair.

Alice and Jasper's relationship was... enviable. Never a girl to fawn over a boy or to long for a relationship, Bella was beginning to wish she had someone look at _her_ like that. There were boys who'd asked her out, boys who'd made it clear they'd want to date her, but she'd never really liked them much, as a whole.

Emmett, amused smile teasing Bella, nodded. "I'm up for baseball."

Edward fell into step beside her as they half-walked, half-swam back to the beach. "Sorry about the baseball jokes," He apologised, smiling slightly. "You weren't that bad."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You haven't seen me bat yet," she threatened, "And to be honest, you don't want to."


	15. Chapter 15: Baseball

_**Unfortunately, I'm not Stephanie Meyer. If I was, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. I'm also not infringing.**_

_**Okay, so this chapter contains a more in-depth baseball game. Now, I'm English, and frankly have no clue about baseball other than the rules I've read about, mostly in Twilight, so I've based it mainly on rounders - if I make a mistake, do tell me. I'll change it :)**_

"Um... third time lucky?"

Edward was smirking. Emmett was grinning. Alice was giggling, and Bella was fuming. She marched across the sand, picked up the ball she'd missed, _again_, and threw it haphazardly back to Emmett, who was pitching. Jasper waited on third base, Edward was behind her, waiting to bat. "I will hit it this time," She announced. "I promise you."

And, jaw set and chin up, she resumed her stance. The ball came towards her - slowly, Emmett was clearly going easy on her - and to her surprise, her bat connected.

It took her a couple of seconds to work out what to do next; dropping her bat, she raced to first base, reaching it just before a scowling Rosalie did.

"I told you so!"

Edward picked up her fallen bat, some few feet away from where she'd intended to drop it, and grinned over at her. "Prepare to run, Bella!" Was all he said, and she obeyed.

The bat connected with a resounding _thwack_, and Bella was racing before he could shout his encouragement. She realised the problem quite quickly - he was a _lot _faster than her.

"Keep going!" He gasped, right behind her, and she nearly stumbled, but did as he said. They passed second base, then third... "Go! Bella, run!"

As tempted as she was to yell back that that was exactly what she was doing, she put on a spurt of speed, slipping and sliding across the sand, wincing as it spilled up and into her sandals, momentarily scorching her feet-

They passed home plate, and Bella finally tripped, tumbling into the sand. Rolling onto her back, she grinned at the sight of Edward and Jasper high-fiving each other enthusiastically. Even Emmett looked pleased, despite the fact they'd scored against his team.

"Hell yes, Bella! You did it!"

She propped herself up, beaming at the brawny boy. "I knew I could! You can't tease me now!"

Edward appeared at her shoulder, dropping to sit down by where she'd fallen. "We so can tease you! _I_ hit that ball, remember?" He reminded Emmett. "And besides, you fell over the moment we passed home plate. You're still clumsy, and Alice still appears slightly better than you at baseball."

Sitting up, she shoved him slightly, making him laugh at her feebleness. "Really, Edward, really? That's just mean!"

He was smirking at her, now, leaning on one hand towards her. "Just mean, Bella? Well, you can take Jasper's place to bat, if you'd like." His voice was low and quiet, his eyes smiling as he gazed at her from beneath his lashes.

She scowled. "See that, right there? You're being mean." And cheeks aflame, she stood, marching away in a huff. Facing away from the others, she couldn't help but smile. _My God... he's amazing._ She hugged herself, then turned, watching Jasper take up a batting stance.

It was almost embarrassing, how much better they were than her. He hit the ball on the first try, without Emmett going slowly and easy on him, and it sailed along the beach, leaving Alice to scramble across the sand. He was on third base before he paused, and Bella realised with chagrin that it was her turn again.

She picked up a bat, and focussed. By watching the ball and trying to concentrate less on the bat, trusting her arms would know where to swing, she managed to hit it first time - admittedly, only enough to get her onto first base again, but it gave her a sense of pride, and the look on Edward's face was well worth it.

She was off and running as soon as Edward's bat connected with the ball, and yet again he was behind her before long. Slipping across the sand, she overbalanced, and tumbled once more - she glanced at Edward's surprised face as he flew by, and bit back a giggle, but yelled that she was fine, and to keep going.

"You're out, Bella," Emmett was laughing, and she sat up, giggling along with him.

"I'd guessed," She remarked, wryly, and then shook her head. "Edward? You in?"

This question led to a fierce debate between Emmett and Edward - she knew, of course, that Edward couldn't overtake her, but they disagreed on whether Edward would still be in if he did. By rubbing a fake injury and pointing out that it was hardly his fault if Bella couldn't run without falling, she managed to persuade Emmett that he should remain in.

Between them, Jasper and Edward managed to keep their team afloat for quite a while more, but eventually, Rosalie caught a ball Jasper hit, and Edward could only hit so many home runs. They swapped, Emmett teasingly asking if Bella wanted to pitch, and she regained the position she'd taken yesterday, by the sea.

Their group was so comfortable, and easy, and close - the idea that they felt they could tease Bella was actually quite a pleasing one; it sounded silly, but she felt almost as if she was being welcomed into their ranks. Although Alice wasn't really such a bad player, she got teasing from the others, too - and Jasper and Edward especially bantered continually over who was better at what.

Few balls were sent her way, and she settled back to watch lazily.

They'd moved the game along the beach quite a way; the day before Edward had managed to almost hit Carlisle in the back of the head with an errant ball, and the adults had insisted. She had no idea what the time was, but further down the beach, by the house, Esme was arranging a table on the terrace outside, while Peter mixed some drink in a jug and Charlotte carted plates of food outside. The game she should have been paying attention to was in full swing, Emmett racing round bases as Jasper bounded to collect the ball.

Her mind drifted back to the conversation she'd had with Peter the day before. She needed to remember to thank them, still - and her worries that she wouldn't meet them again were just that little bit stronger. If they kept up with this rate of friendship, how close would they be when they left?

She forced that train of thought away. She'd worry about that when she got there - for all she knew, she'd hate them by New Year.

Watching Edward, however, she somehow doubted it.

Then she laughed at herself. Maybe, she thought wryly, she'd not despise them, but have done something so embarrassing regarding a potential crush on Edward Cullen - she hadn't given herself the liberty of uninterrupted time to work out what she thought of him yet - she would never want to see them again regardless.

She certainly felt _something_ towards him - not a fully-fledged crush, she'd only known him for two days, but maybe just a little flutter of my-gosh-a-famous-_gorgeous-_boy-is-flirting-with-me - because surely_,_ that's what he'd been doing earlier. It was entirely likely that he was a complete player, and flirting because she was female and single, and he was bored - but it didn't seem that way. For one thing, Jasper and Emmett were complete opposites to that, and for another... _he_ just didn't appear like that.

She focussed a little on the game; it seemed that Jasper had caught Alice out, much to her annoyance. "Drop it, Jasper, for me?" She pouted across at him, but he laughed, shaking his head.

"I love you, darling, but not that much," He joked, and she huffed, marching over to sit by Bella. But her scowl slipped into smile, and he blew her a kiss.

Alice sat, cross-legged, at the tide line, and Bella moved to join her. Rosalie and Emmett wouldn't hit many into the water, if any. "You and Jasper are so sweet," She said, earnestly; she was still irritated by the comments Edward had told her about the night before, and if Alice needed reassurance, she was sure as hell going to get it.

Alice looked over, a smile on her face. "Thanks... he really is sweet." Her tone was fond, and she was watching her boyfriend again, eyes following him as he pitched.

"Did he really not care that you didn't like Vampiric?" Bella asked, honestly curious. "Did he not expect you to be a fan? You were working backstage, after all."

Alice tilted her head, leaning back on her hands. "Sort of. I wasn't really doing much, just shadowing and fetching things for people, but he took the time to talk to me when he had a spare moment. At first, he was annoyed, more at the media and today's music society than me, for giving me those preconceptions. And then he said he'd prove he was nothing like that." She grinned. "I guess you could say he was wooing me."

"Yeah?" Bella raised her eyebrows, amused by Alice's fond expression. "What'd he do?"

"Well, the first thing he did was was insist I actually see him perform. So I got to sit almost backstage, hidden from the audience, but able to see and hear them. I was blown away - I'd spent so long huffing at people loving them and hating it when they'd talk about their talent. And then he'd do sweet things, like bring me coffee in the mornings when I was helping set up for their concerts - I'm really not a morning person - and walk around town with me, with me and talk. The work experience lasted what, three weeks? But I was pretty much in love with him by the end." She sighed, it turning into a giggle when Emmett cursed, skating to a halt halfway between bases. "I guess that means game over. Lunch time?" She scrambled to her feet, helping Bella up, and together they ambled over to the house, followed by the others.

Edward caught up with them fast, swinging the baseball bat from his hand.

"Your hair is absolutely full of sand, you know," he said cheerfully.

Bella rolled her eyes. "I did fall over. Twice. I don't know about movie stars, but I can't do that without getting messy."  
He paused, studying her hair for a moment. "Who wants movie stars, anyway? They lose their beauty if you take away the Photoshop." He grinned. "Of course, coming from someone who's been digitally enhanced a thousand times over..." He half-shrugged.

She glanced over at him in surprise. He must have caught her expression, because he continued with a wry half-smile. "They pretty much insist it, every photoshoot. It's not brilliant for your self-esteem - until you see the finished results, and they're so different you realise you'd have to be inhuman to not 'need' it."

Bella raised an eyebrow, speaking before she thought. "You don't need it," she told him, then blushed, deeply, at his expression. "I mean, you're- well, you know, you're not exactly ugly?"

He tilted his head back and laughed, looking joyful and utterly heartbreaking. "Not exactly ugly. Thanks, Bella, you pay the most amazing compliments."


End file.
